West Orange Fire Department Aids in Montclair House Fire

A fire broke out  Saturday night in a single-family home at 108 Gates Avenue, Montclair, causing considerable damage to a bedroom. 

According to Thomas Diveny, Deputy Chief of the Montclair Fire Department, the home  -- owned by the Churchman family -- was unoccupied at the time, except for a dog, who survived. However, five firefighters were rushed to the hospital with related injuries.

“There were three direct injuries," Diveny told Patch.  "An ankle injury, an arm injury and a shoulder injury.” 

All five firefighters suffered heat-related problems, according to Diveny, who said two were rushed to St. Barnabus Hospital and three to Mountainside Hospital.  All were treated and released.

“We’re talking about a 900 to 1,200-degree fire, concentrated in one room.  And it was muggy out,” he explained.  “The Catch-22 is that our gear protects us from the heat but it also encapsulates us in a hot environment.  It can get extreme.”

Mutual aid responded from West Orange, East Orange, Bloomfield and Orange. Despite the heat and injuries, the firefighters were able to contain the fire quickly.

"They did a great job of keeping the fire to one room," said Diveny.  "A good portion of the house had virtually no damage."

 The cause of the blaze was a Dutch heater/fireplace in the master bedroom, he said.  Though it had been turned off, Diveny cautioned homeowners to be aware of the potential danger of keeping unused electrical devices plugged in when not in use.

"A lot of people don't realize that just because an appliance is off doesn't mean the power isn't on," he said.  "Like a TV or a lamp -- if it's plugged in, it's powered up and ready to go."

The owner, James Churchman, said he left his house around 6:30 p.m. Saturday and was about to board a Circle Line cruise around New York City when he got two calls that his house was on fire, the first of which he thought was a joke. Churchman said he had nearly boarded the four-hour cruise, but instead headed back to Montclair. He said it felt like a very long ride and his wife, Joan (known as Pat), collapsed on the neighbor’s lawn from the shock of seeing her burned home.

“This is the most exciting thing that has happened in my life this year,” said Churchman, who is the funeral director at his family’s funeral home in Newark.

At the time of the fire, the house was occupied only by his 80-lb. lab-mix, Hazel, who was removed safely by firefighters. Churchman’s 94-year-old aunt, who had recently come to live with him, was with family in Maryland for the Father’s Day holiday.

“We saw smoke and then we saw fire,” said Navan Cleary, 5, who lives just one door down from the Churchman home. He and his 2-year-old sister, Caitlin, were selling orange juice on the quiet block Sunday morning. Their mom, Lisa Cleary, said her husband called 9-1-1 when the children noticed the smoke. “Caitlin said, ‘Mom, why is there smoke?’”

“It’s surely a Father’s Day you won’t forget,” said Churchman’s daughter, Cara.  The family planned to have a party with 200 guests for Cara next week before she moves to Dubai this summer to work for Bloomingdale’s.

Churchman said a friend pointed out that he is blessed that nobody was killed or injured. 

 The family cannot remain in the home where gas and electric has been turned off. The Churchmans are in touch with the Red Cross for assistance and have been offered help from their church, friends and neighbors.

“All of my neighbors have all been very nice,” Churchman said.