Fire departments from Maplewood and several other departments responded to a 911 call at about 4 p.m. on Wednesday for a house fire at Manhattan and Sussex avenues, Maplewood Fire Chief Terry Merrell said Thursday.
The fire caused extensive fire damage in the kitchen and extensive smoke damage throughout the rest of the home, he said. The smell of smoke was outside the house Thursday morning.
The residents were not home when the fire occurred. One of the residents was in the back yard Thursday morning. She said a dog and a cat died in the fire. Merrell said efforts to revive the pets were unsuccessful.
Due to the extremely hot day, an extra alarm (a second alarm that brought an additional 12 firefighters) was struck. The fire crews were limited to 20-minute work cycles and they were not allowed to return to active assignments until rehydrating and having vital signs checked.
The total time on the scene was about two hours. There were no injuries to the fire crews and no heat illness experienced.
Maplewood fire personnel investigated and found that the fire started near the back of the control panel of the kitchen stove. It was ruled accidental/unintentional, likely related to wiring in or near the stove. The home was determined to be unfit for occupancy by the city’s building inspector.