MONTAGUE, NJ – Multiple units from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania were on the scene Thursday afternoon as a structure fire ripped through a home just over the Port Jervis/Montague state lines.
Police, fire and EMS units responded within minutes of the 1:18 p.m. call to 127 River Road in Montague but flames had quickly engulfed the single-family.
Water lines were quickly stretched across the rural property, and aerial ladders extended. Water was relayed to the home via tankers.
Residents of the home were on-site, standing a distance away as they watched their home burn.
A distraught owner said she had smelled a strange smell coming from a kerosene heater and moved the heater to the back porch. This is where she believes the fire originated. She said smoke was coming from the area as they placed a call for help.
The residents were able to safely remove themselves, a family dog, and a cat from the home. The owner was very concerned about two cats that she last saw in the rear interior of the home. The cats’ whereabouts were not immediately known but were being sought as firefighters fought the blaze.
Video, photos (c) Mid-Hudson News Network
