Oct 6, 2008 1:26 pm US/Eastern
Early Morning Fire Kills Beloved Couple In Passaic
PASSAIC, N.J. (CBS) ―
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A fire quickly got out of control early Monday morning at 750 River Road in Pasaic. The fire claimed the lives of a beloved elderly couple, remembered for their sincerity and kindness.
CBS
They were the couple that everyone knew and loved at 750 River Road in Passaic; the disabled woman with the walker and her attentive male companion. When flames raced through their second floor apartment just before 2 a.m. Monday morning, their neighbors feared the worst:
"When I looked up there, I knew it was too late. It was like something exploded. The whole balcony right up to the ceiling was on fire...I knew that if she was in there, there was no way to get out," said neighbor Claire Dyer.
The Passaic Fire Chief now believes that her male companion died in the flames as he tried to rescue his disabled companion who was asleep in her hospital bed in the living room. It was a tragic fire that appears to be accidental:
"The time of day has a lot to do with it. Most fires are caused when people are asleep. We don't know if the smoke detectors were working," said Fire Chief Patrick Trentacost.
Neighbors tell CBS 2 HD, the couple were two of the kindest, sweetest people, who regularly checked on their elderly neighbors to see if they were all right.
One resident showed the remains of dried flowers and a straw hat the deceased woman made for her in her daily visits. 75-year-old Henrietta Hill says she'll never forget the victim's kindness:
"She was the sweetest woman you'd want to meet. If you needed something, she'd give it to you. She was a beautiful woman," said Hill.
Neighbors say her companion was equally kind, who would take disabled people by ambulance to their doctor's appointments.
Fire officials are still investigating the cause of the fire. No one else in the building were injured.
The names of the victims still have not been released.
The fatal fire comes within the first two hours of National Fire Prevention Week.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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