Firefighter Hurt Battling Central Avenue Blaze

The Montclair Fire Department responded to a two-alarm fire at 132 Central Ave. in Montclair, on Sunday at 5:21 p.m.

According to the Montclair Fire Department, upon arrival “firefighters encountered heavy fire and smoke coming from the interior and rear exterior” of the home. They “made an aggressive attack under extreme heat to bring the fire under control.”

When the fire was declared under control 30 minutes later, extensive fire damage had been done to the exterior rear of the home, the kitchen and the dining room. Heat and smoke damage was also present throughout the house.

No one was home at the time of the fire and the cause of the fire is still under investigation, however the cause does not appear to be suspicious.  Fire Official John Thomas will lead the Montclair Fire Investigation Unit in discovering the cause of the fire.

It appears as though the fire started outside of the home, broke through a kitchen window, igniting the room and then traveled through the interior of the home.

Firefighter Christopher Mattheis was injured in the fire. He received thermal burns to his face and neck. Mattheis was treated at Saint Barnabas Medical Center and released. There were no civilian injuries.

Battalion Chief James Ormsby was the incident commander for the fire. All Montclair Fire resources were committed to the fire as off-duty personnel were also called to the scene.

The Clifton fire department came to the scene as the Rapid Intervention Crew (RIC) in case there was a need for firefighter rescue.