Trapped Hawthorne Fire Victim Hospitalized In Wednesday Blaze

HAWTHORNE, NJ - Firefighters from Hawthorne battled a two-alarm fire that resulted in a trapped victim on Wednesday, authorities said.

At around 1:43 p.m., the Hawthorne Fire Department was dispatched to the Sunrise Drive residence for a reported house fire, the department said.

“As the [fire] chief evaluated the conditions of home … he was advised of an occupant being trapped in the home and transmitted a 2nd alarm,” the department said in a statement. “1 victim was removed from the home and turned over to EMS.”

A medivac helicopter was issued to transport the patient to the burn center as soon as possible as fire crews from mutual aid departments worked to set up a helicopter landing zone at the Hawthorne High School football field.

The fire was extinguished within 45 minutes, fire officials said, though crews remained at the scene until around 6 p.m.

“We thank our members, HPD, HVAC, fire desk operators, ladies auxiliary, and mutual aid partners for their assistance today,” Hawthorne fire officials said. “Our department wishes to send our thoughts and prayers to the victim of this fire and their family.”