Elderly man badly burned in Boonton fire

BOONTON - An elderly man was badly burned in a house fire Tuesday afternoon on Lorraine Terrace, according to Fire Chief Mike Sulpy.

The department responded to a call shortly before 3 p.m. and found flames coming out of the front picture window of the small ranch home, located close to neighbors on both sides of the street in the Hill section of town.

"We had trucks here within minutes and were able to knock it down," Sulpy said at the scene. "The fire was contained to the living room area."

Primary and secondary searches discovered one victim — an elderly man who owned the home, according to Sulpy.

"He had burns throughout his body," said Sulpy, who did not identify the victim but indicated  that he was taken to the burn unit at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston.

St. Barnabas declined to confirm that the victim was taken there.

The home, with one story above a basement and double-garage level, was heavily damaged by fire and smoke. No neighboring homes and structures were damaged.

An adult son and daughter living at the address were not present at the time of the fire, according to Sulpy.

First responders included Boonton Salvage 1 Rescue and the Harmony 2 Hose and Engine Company with support from Parsippany District 4, Parsippany Rescue and Recovery and the Boonton Kiwanis Ambulance Corps.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office went to the scene to investigate..

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-917-9242; wwesthoven@GannettNJ.com.