Westfield Home Uninhabitable After Early Morning Fire, Chief Says

WESTFIELD NJ — No one was hurt when firefighters extinguished a house fire on Kirkview Circle early Tuesday morning, April 28, Westfield Fire Chief Michael Duelks said. The fire department got the call at about 3 a.m., and the first units arrived on scene at 3:05 a.m. to find a 2 ½ story single-family dwelling with heavy smoke and fire showing from the first division of the structure, Duelks said in a press release.“Immediately, fire units established an aggressive interior fire attack, with an interior search of the residence to confirm all occupants of the dwelling were safely evacuated,” he said.The incident escalated to two alarms, bringing Union County Fire Mutual Aid companies to the scene, he said. Resources were staged at Fire Headquarters to cover the town for additional calls. The fire was placed under control at 4:05 a.m., Duelks said, with Fire Department personnel remaining on scene in the morning hours. The Westfield Construction Official deemed the dwelling uninhabitable, he said.Off-duty Westfield Fire Department members were recalled providing supplementary assistance on scene of the incident, Duelks said. The Westfield Police Department aided with street closures, traffic, crowd control and scene security, he said, and the Westfield Rescue Squad, along with emergency medical services from around the county, assisted in providing firefighter rehabilitation. The cause of the fire, which is being investigated by The Westfield Fire Prevention Bureau, The Westfield Police Department and the Union County Fire Investigation Task Force, is still under investigation, Duelks said.In his statement, Duelks said the Westfield Fire Department reminds everyone that working smoke alarms save lives.“Make sure that your smoke alarms are tested monthly and are less than 10 years old. For more information on fire safety, contact the Westfield Fire Prevention Bureau at fireprevention@westfieldnj.gov.”