Fire Cause Probed, Collection for Families Started

Investigators on Tuesday are expected to begin the process of accessing the basement of a multi-family home on Park Avenue that was destroyed by a fire on Saturday to determine the cause.

First, water needs to be pumped from the basement.

Then, investigators need to figure out how to safely work their way to the section of the basement where the fire is believed to have started. This is complicated by the fact that part of the first floor of the home home collapsed into the basement, Fire Chief Lou DeRosa said Monday.

The cause of the fire has not been determined and is under investigation, DeRosa said.

Rachel Chiarolanzio Fleming, the daughter of the building's landlord, David Chiarolanzio, said St. Vincent Martyr Church will accept gift card donations to help with the immediate needs of the families affected by the fire, and they hope to accept larger items once they know what the families need.

If anyone wants to drop off or mail a gift card to the church, the church asks that it be put in an envelope marked Fire Relief Fund. The church's address is 26 Green Village Road, Madison NJ 07940