2 N.J. Police Officers Hurt Rescuing Woman Trapped in House Fire
What to know
• Two Pompton Lakes police officers suffered smoke inhalation after rushing into a burning home Monday to rescue a trapped woman.
• One officer has since returned to duty, while the other remains hospitalized for further evaluation.
• The woman was injured, and the cause of the fire, which destroyed the house, is under investigation.
Two New Jersey police officers were hospitalized for smoke inhalation after rescuing a woman who was trapped by a house fire on Monday.
The fire started around 10 a.m. at a home in Pompton Lakes in Passaic County. The officers ran into the building and carried the woman out.
She was injured but is expected to be OK.
“When they entered, they couldn’t see. It was a heavy smoke condition…They put their lives at risk to rescue this lady,” acting Pompton Lakes Police Chief Anthony Rodriguez said.
The officers were both treated for smoke inhalation.
One of the officers is doing “better,” and one is in “more serious” condition, Mayor Michael Serra told Patch.
Officer Hector Alcantara was released from Chilton Medical Center Monday night and returned to work Tuesday, the department said. The second officer was transferred to St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston for further evaluation.
He added that the home was “totaled” by the blaze, which took about an hour to extinguish.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
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