Woman Suffers Burns in Fanwood Fire

A woman suffered burns in a two-alarm house fire on Washington Avenue in Fanwood Sunday afternoon.

"The call came in as a 911 hangup," Fanwood Police Chief Richard Trigo told Patch. "The officer was responding to check out the hangup and saw smoke and notified dispatchers. He entered with a fire extinguisher to try to knock down the fire, but the home became fully engulfed."

The fire broke out around noon and began in a second-floor bedroom of the home, said Trigo.

The homeowner and her two dogs escaped with the help of Fanwood officers  Elliott Bernard and Kenneth Zwirko who guided her out through a heavy smoke condition, Trigo said. She suffered burns to her hands and was transported to St. Barnabas Burn Center. No other injuries were reported.

Trigo said the cause of the fire was "accidental by homeowner."

Responding fire companies included Fanwood, Scotch Plains, Westfield, Berkeley Heights, Cranford, Mountainside, Garwood and Clark. Responding EMS agencies included Fanwood, Scotch Plains, Mountainside, Westfield, Springfield and Berkeley Heights.