Cause Of Fatal Montclair House Fire Under Investigation

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A house fire at a Walnut Crescent home that claimed the life of an 89-year-old woman on Friday is still under investigation, authorities said.

Montclair firefighters arrived at the blaze around 3 p.m. on Feb. 21. While en route, multiple calls about a structure fire with a person trapped inside came through MFD dispatch, officials said.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, they found “heavy fire” coming from the first floor at the rear of the house. Firefighters made entry into the home and removed the occupant, who unfortunately, didn’t survive, authorities said.

The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office later identified the victim as Delia V. West, 89. She lived in the house alone, prosecutors said.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.

There was heavy fire damage to the 1st floor and moderate fire damage to the 2nd floor, officials said.

Units from West Orange, Bloomfield and East Orange helped to bring the fire under control, while units from Orange, Caldwell, Verona and Cedar Grove covered the township for the duration of the incident. The last units cleared the scene at 6:01 p.m.

There were no injuries to firefighters, authorities said.

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