Fire on South Orange Ave. Early Sunday Morning

The Fire Department responded to an alarm in a four-story apartment building at 173 South Orange Ave. on Sunday at 12:23 a.m.

Residents who had evacuated the building reported smoke on the second floor, and firefighters determined that it was coming from apartment 2-C. The occupant of the apartment was awakened by loud banging on the door and was treated at the scene by the South Orange Rescue Squad. He exhibited high levels of carbon monoxide and was transported to St. Barnabas.

The fire was found on the stove top in the kitchen and was later determined to have been caused by unattended cooking. It was put out with two extinguishers and contained to the cooking surface. A search of the third and fourth floors revealed tenants still in their apartments; they were instructed to remain there and protected in place until the smoke condition in the hallways was abated. Mechanical ventilation was used to clear smoke in the apartment where the fire started and in the hallways.

A Maplewood Engine also responded to the scene to provide additional manpower, and all units cleared the scene at 1:35 a.m.