Fundraiser Saturday For Teaneck Family Devastated by Blaze

Mother and young children forced from their home after two-alarm fire

A local childcare center is raising money for the Teaneck family whose home was destroyed in a two-alarm blaze on Ester Avenue in March, organizers announced.  Guliana Tolay woke up to the sound of smoke alarms early March 2 and found thick smoke filling her home. The family of five, including two her two young children, escaped without serious injury, but flames gutted the two-family house, she said.  Since the fire, Tolay managed to find a new rental home in town after staying in her mother's basement.  "I love Teaneck," she said. "I didn't want to move to another town." Family members have assisted, but what Tolay said she misses most are the personal keepsakes destroyed in the blaze. Tolay said she's now focused on helping her children…

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Fire Causes 'Toxic' Smoke at Teaneck Senior Housing Complex

Township firefighters used high pressure fan to ventilate the smoke, fire chief says.

A small kitchen fire broke out in an apartment at a senior citizen housing complex in Teaneck Wednesday morning, officials said.  Firefighters were called at 8:42 a.m. for a report of a fire in a third floor apartment at the Five Star Residences on Pomander Walk and arrived two minutes later, according to Fire Chief Anthony Verley. Staff had extinguished the flames, but fire crews found heavy smoke on the floor.  Verley said a burner on the stove had been turned on under a plastic bowl, creating thick toxic smoke. Crews made sure the flames hadn't spread elsewhere in the apartment or the units above and helped residents to safety in the lobby.  "Using a high pressure ventilating fan, FD units then ventilated the windowless hallway and fire…

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Family Displaced After Teaneck Blaze

Electrical problems reported before flames broke out, fire officials say.

Firefighters faced extreme heat and arcing electrical wires as they worked to knock down a stubborn two-alarm blaze that forced a Garrison Avenue family from their home Saturday, officials said. Teaneck fire crews were on the scene within three minutes after a call came in at 1:11 p.m. reporting smoke coming from a house at the corner of Wyndham Road, Fire Chief Anthony Verley said in a statement. Crews arrived to find heavy smoke pouring from the chimney and basement windows. Firefighters first tried to enter the basement but were pushed back by the heat, Verley said. Crews were able to extinguish the basement fire after firefighters ventilated the windows. The flames had traveled up through the walls, spreading to the first and second …

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Teaneck Firefighters Honored for Rescuing Dog

Firefighters dug through debris to reach frightened dog

Two Teaneck firefighters were recognized by the town council Tuesday for saving a dog that survived a two-alarm blaze on Ester Avenue earlier this month.   Firefighters Gregory Wagner and Corey Goodall found the frightened pooch named Lulu in the attic after flames broke out in an upstairs kitchen March 2, officials said.  Teaneck fire crews at first couldn't locate the dog, but didn't give up and went back in when Lulu was heard whimpering.  Fire Chief Anthony Verley said the firefighters dug through debris to reach Lulu. Wagner crawled into a tight storage area while Goodall helped make sure Lulu couldn't escape.  The early morning fire sent five people to the hospital with minor injuries. A quick response helped contained the flames.  "…

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VIDEO: Teaneck Firefighters Help Battle Hackensack Blaze

Fire crews fought flames through windy conditions early Sunday.

Teaneck firefighters were called to assist at the scene of a blaze in Hackensack that left one home destroyed and another with extensive damage early Sunday.  A Hackensack firefighter and resident each sustained minor injuries in the three-alarm fire on Park Street, according to the Hackensack Fire Department.  Fire crews battled the flames for about an hour and a half through high winds and icy conditions. In addition to Teaneck and Hackensack, Bogota and Ridgefield Park firefighters responded.  Eleven people from four families were displaced by the fire, NorthJersey.com reported. The cause of the blaze was not immediately released.  Video posted above from YouTube shows firefighters working at the scene  Follow Patch on Twitter, Facebook…

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Overturned Truck Spills Lumber on Route 80 Ramp in Teaneck

Ramp closed for more than five hours

A tractor-trailer overturned on a ramp from Route 80 east to Route 95 south early Friday in Teaneck, spilling lumber across the road, state police said.  Crews were still working to clear the wood more than five hours after the truck flipped, which has closed the Exit 68 ramp. State Police Sgt. Adam Grossman said it was not immediately known when the ramp would be reopened.  The Teaneck Fire Department responded as a precaution after officials reported smoke coming from the big-rig, Grossman said. There were no injuries in the one-vehicle accident.  Grossman said the truck was uprighted around 8:30 a.m. and has since been removed.  There were no major traffic delays in the area. Additional details were not immediately available.   Follow …

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John Santaella

12:45 pm on Saturday, March 16, 2013

@Rick, I agree it's not a sharp curve but on other interstates a similar curve does not require dropping 20 to 30 miles in speed to negotiate. It's not sharp but it's not banked properly. I'll do similar curves elsewhere at 65-70MPH   more ›

Family Escapes Early Morning Blaze in Teaneck

Neighbor aids mother and young children after fire that injured five people.

Five people were hospitalized and two families forced from their homes after flames ripped through a house at the corner of Ester Avenue and Beverly Road early Saturday, according to witnesses and officials. Rosario Paita was asleep on the first floor of the two-family home and woke up to find thick smoke pouring from the upstairs apartment. She quickly gathered her young children and escaped around 5:30 a.m. "It was a lot of fire," she said, adding flames were shooting from the windows. "I took my children…I didn't care about my things." Hearing loud coughing, neighbor Cathy Carratura rushed to help the mother and children forced outside in the frigid temperatures. "I ran to the house and grabbed the children and told them to get …

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Bystanders Credited With Saving Man in Teaneck

Man revived from "clinical death"

A man in his sixties went into cardiac arrest, but was revived by two bystanders at a Queen Anne Road synagogue Saturday, officials said. Rescuers from the Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps and Teaneck Fire Department rushed to the congregation to find trained bystanders had used a portable automatic defibrillator and CPR to bring the man back from "clinical death," a medical term referring to the halt of blood circulation and breathing, according to TVAC's Larry Robertson. Firefighters and EMTs took over, bringing the man to Holy Name Medical Center, Robertson said. The patient was talking by the time he reached the emergency room. "This was a classic example of the effectiveness of citizen CPR backed up by fast EMS and [Fire Department] …

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Truck Flips on I-80 Ramp in Teaneck

A trucker escaped serious injury when the tractor-trailer he was driving overturned on the ramp to I-80 westbound from I-95 in Teaneck Monday night, authorities said.  Teaneck firefighters were at the scene around 9:45 p.m., where the truck was resting on its side across the roadway. Police blocked the westbound ramp, but there were no major traffic delays, according to the state transportation department.  Follow Patch on Twitter, Facebook and click to sign up for Breaking News Alerts. News tip? Story idea? E-mail teaneck@patch.com 

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