Anthony G. Attrino – nj.com
A mother and her adult son were seriously injured Monday night when their home in Cliffside Park became engulfed in flames from a fire that started from cooking oil, authorities said.
The mother was cooking at her home on Lawton Avenue when the three-alarm fire erupted about 6:30 p.m., firefighters said.
“She was deep-frying food and turned around for a few minutes to tend to the dogs,” said Fire Chief Gregory Yfantis. During that brief time, the cooking oil ignited and the house filled with smoke and flames, Yfantis said.
“She was trying to extinguish the fire herself. We don’t know if it was with water or a fire extinguisher. We don’t know yet,” Yfantis said.
The son, who is in his 20s, was in an attic bedroom at the time the blaze broke out and emerged to find the kitchen in flames, Yfantis said.
“When the fire engulfed the kitchen area, the son came out of the attic and that’s when he sustained third-degree burns,” Yfantis said, adding that the mother sustained second-degree burns.
Both were taken by ambulance to Hackensack University Medical Center and later transferred to the burn section at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, officials said.
Yfantis said the mother suffered injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Authorities on Tuesday had no information about the son’s condition.
The fire took about 1 hour and 40 minutes to bring under control, Yfantis said.
The fire is under investigation by members of the Cliffside Park Prevention Bureau and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.
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Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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