Press Release

The following taken from the Daily Record - (Morris County) - at DailyRecord.com

Morris Plains man in critical condition after fire

MORRIS PLAINS — A 52-year-old Morris Plains man is in critical condition at St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston after suffering smoke inhalation and burns when a space heater ignited a fire in his basement apartment, authorities said Sunday.

Local police and fire departments were called to the Stiles Avenue home at 3 a.m. Sunday, where the man and his 67-year-old mother and 64-year-old stepfather had evacuated after waking up to find the house on fire, said Capt. Jeffrey Paul of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

The son woke up to the fire in the basement and yelled for his parents to evacuate from upstairs, Paul said. The parents were treated and released from Morristown Memorial Hospital for smoke inhalation, he said.

The prosecutor’s arson unit determined that the fire was accidental, having started when the space heater ignited nearby combustible materials, Paul said. The fire was contained to the basement bedroom, but the home had heavy smoke and heat damage.

Several agencies responded to the fire, including the Morris Township Fire Department, Morris Minute Men First Aid Squad, Morristown Memorial Hospital Mobile Intensive Care Unit and the Morris County Sheriff’s Department criminal investigation section.

Check our Police Blotter daily for the latest updates.