Two dead in South Hackensack fire that leaves Agar Place house severely damaged
SOUTH HACKENSACK — Two people died in an overnight house fire on Agar Place, the township's fire chief confirmed.
A man and woman were pronounced dead at Hackensack University Medical Center, Chief Carmine Maceri said. A third person was injured. The victims have not yet been publicly identified, but neighbors said a family lived in the affected home.
Firefighters responded to the blaze just after 3 a.m. Friday, but the smoke was too heavy to immediately access the building, Maceri said.
"We were met with heavy fire and heavy smoke," Maceri said.
The victims were found in the house's rear near the kitchen. The fire was put out at about 4:25 a.m. Maceri said the cause is under investigation.
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Deputy Police Chief Robert Chinchar expressed sadness after the fire, noting the tight-knit nature of the community.
"We're a real small town, everybody knows everybody so something like this really hits home to everybody," Chinchar said. "It's going to take awhile to recover from this. We'll get through it."
The fire left the house's frame charred Friday morning with windows visibly blown out and a huge hole on the left side of the house. The house was red-tagged, Chinchar said, meaning that it is uninhabitable.
The blaze on the small street happened right around the corner from South Hackensack's firehouse. One neighbor said the fire response did not wake him up, and he hardly notices the trucks anymore living so close to the department headquarters.
Sue Ryan, who lived in the house next door, which suffered fire damage, called the incident "devastating."
"It's going to be very emotional to walk past it every day and see the damage and know that somebody died," she said. "But the response from the town was tremendous."
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Tony Competiello owns Pompei Little Market, a deli around the corner from the home on Agar, said the family that lived there had been there longer than his business, which opened in the 1980s. He described the family as "hardworking."
"You know the family for years," Competiello said. "It's a shock."
It marked the second fatal fire in Bergen County in the past week. Over the weekend a 17-year-old girl died in an Allendale house fire.
Hackensack, South Hackensack, Little Ferry, Wood-Ridge, Wallington and Carlstadt were among the fire departments to respond along with the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. The state fire marshal was also on scene later Friday morning.
Check back for more on this developing story.
Liam Quinn is a breaking news reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all the major news happening in North Jersey, subscribe here. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.
Email: quinnl@northjersey.com
Twitter: @Liam_D_Quinn
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: South Hackensack fire leaves two people dead, officials say
