At 9:00am this morning the Oakland Fire Dept responded to a house fire at 12 Sienna Way. Initial dispatch reported an explosion had occurred and that the occupant was down. Oakland Police officers were first on scene and confirmed a working structure fire with a heavy smoke condition emanating from the house. Officers also confirmed the occupant was down, but out of the house and that no one else was inside. The homeowner was eventually transported to Hackensack University Medical Center with non life threatening injuries by the Oakland First Aid Squad and Paramedics.
The first arriving fire department officer was Asst. Chief Curt LeRoy (1050), who immediately requested an Oakland fire department second alarm from our mutual aid, which consisted of a tower ladder and rescue (fast team) from the Wyckoff fire department and an engine from the Franklin Lakes fire department. Asst. Chief LeRoy also reported a strong odor of gas and that a second explosion had just occurred, knocking the house of its foundation. A second fast team was also requested to the scene. Waldwick Rescue 1 responded.
Chief Robert Knapp (1030), who was now on scene requested PSEG and Rockland Electric respond with a rush as it was apparent the fire was being fueled by natural gas. Due to the gas involvement, suppression of the fire could not immediately begin until the gas was shut off by PSEG.
While awaiting PSEG the priority given was assuring the fire did not spread to neighboring houses and evacuating the entire block as well as some homes on Yale Way. Engine 1032 and their crew was put to work on the west exposure, as well as stretching a line to the rear of the house. Engine 1031's crew was put to work on the east exposure with assistance from the crew of the Franklin Lakes engine. The crew of engine 1034 worked on water supply as well as evacuation operations along with members of the Oakland First Aid Squad. Oakland Tower 1041 was also put to work on the east exposure and Wyckoff Tower 241 the west exposure. Their assignment was to control the fire, without extinguishing it until the gas could be shut off.
A mutual aid thirdalarm was requested which brought an engine from Mahwah to the scene a ladder from Pompton lakes for cover and an engine from Ringwood for cover. Once the Mahwah engine was on scene they were instructed to set up a water supply from a different water main and stretch an additional line to the rear of the house, which they did by running it through the back yard of a Yale Way address to the rear of the incident address.
Approximately one hour and fifteen minutes into the incident PSEG was forced to shut the gas down to the entire block due to not being able to isolate the gas shut off for the incident address. At that time suppression of the fire began, but as an exterior operation only as a full collapse of the entire first floor into the basement had occurred and a partial collapse of the roof on the east side had occurred. The fire was brought under control within forty five minutes from the time the gas was shut off. At that time all tower ladder operations were shut down, but ground operations continued.
Before the investigation into how the fire started could begin, all exterior walls had to be razed due to their instability and that of the structure. That operation was done by the crew of Wyckoff Tower 241. Also the basement, which was now filled with approximately five feet of water had to be pumped out. That was done by the members of the Waldwick fire department's rescue crew. Once both of those operations were complete the Bergen County Arson Squad, who had been called to the scene by Chief Knapp (1030) began their investigation into the cause.
Upon completion of the Bergen County Arson Squads investigation, they determined the fire was intentionally set by the homeowner, who has been charged with arson.
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