Quick Action from Good Samaritan Saves Livingston Home

Some quick actionby an off-duty Montclair firefighter stopped a fire from further damaging a Livingston home Friday morning.

Austin Paris, a resident of Shrewsbury Drive, said he lit his livingroom fireplace for the first time this fall and was working on his computer when he heard a loud bang and saw a stranger standing outside his home telling him the house was on fire.

Apparently the fireplace's outside exhaust pipe ignited along with two bird's nests right next to it, Livingston Fire Chief Christopher Mullin said.

Mullin said the good Samaritan - Sebastian "Butch" Cavello - was driving by when he noticed the fire around 11 a.m. Friday. Cavello stopped, grabbed a backyard garden hose and started dousing the flames.

It took 25 firefighters about 10 minutes to put out the rest of the fire. No one was hurt and Livingston police blocked traffic on the road.

Muliln said Paris was fortunate Covello happened to be nearby because the fire could have quickly spread to the rest of the house.

The Livingston chief said he plans to send a letter to the Montclair Fire Chief to commend Covello for his "quick response and quick attack."

"If it was unattended to, if the Montclair firefighter wasn't around, it would have damaged the structure," Mullin said. "But he got it in line."

When reached by cell phone on Friday afternoon, Cavello said he was just passing by on his way to a construction site when he noticed the flames.

Cavello said two landscapers who also happen to by nearby made the emergency call and the Livingston firefighters quickly arrived on the scene about three to five minutes later.

"There's no heroics. There's nothing special about it," Covello said about his action. "I'm just a firefighter helping other firefighters. We're doing the same job."

Paris said he's thankful for Covello's fast response. "It was perfect," he said. "Couldn't ask for any better."

The homeowner also said he's still wondering what caused the blaze. Paris said he had no trouble with the fireplace last year and he wonders if there was a problem with the exhaust pipe or the bird's nests.

"I don't know how it started," Paris said about the fire. "It's like a mystery."