Millburn Firefighters Put Out Home Fire, Dog ‘Self-Rescues’

MILLBURN, NJ — Millburn firefighters helped to save a dog from a smoke-filled home on Highland Avenue on Tuesday. Or actually, it may have been more of a “self-rescue” type of deal, according to Millburn Fire Department Chief Robert Echavarria.

Millburn town officials issued an email alert about a street closure on Highland Avenue from Hobart Avenue to Minnisink Road at 12:53 p.m. due to “fire department activity.”

Echavarria told Patch that the road closure was due to a fire in the basement of a home on Highland Avenue. The cause of the conflagration is under investigation but appears to be accidental at this time, he added.

The homeowner wasn’t present at the time of the fire, which had filled the entire house with smoke by the time firefighters arrived, Echavarria said. But there was one occupant: a dog.

“We opened the door and he went running out the back,” Echavarria said. “He was definitely in danger… it might have been a self-rescue.”

Millburn firefighters managed to extinguish the fire quickly once they discovered the source, Echavarria said. There were no reported injuries.

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