NJ Firefighters Rescue Dad, Toddler from Burning Apartment

A father and his 3-year-old daughter were rescued from a burning apartment building in Paterson Sunday morning during a blaze that injured a total of three people and took more than 90 minutes for firefighters to bring under control.

Paterson firefighters responding to the fire at 10 a.m. at 349 Fair St. saw flames coming from the second-floor windows and extending into the third floor, according to a press statement from the city.

As the fire company searched and evacuated the building, firefighters Robert Santore and Brian Hirschmanner spotted a man and his daughter on the second-floor rear fire escape, according to the release.

The man, apparently panicked, was preparing to drop his daughter down to firefighters below when Santore and Hirschmanner stopped him and calmed him down, the statement said. “They then quickly ascended the fire escape and rescued the daughter and her father,” the release said.

The pair were taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center for evaluation. One other civilian was transported to the hospital for evaluation.

The three-alarm blaze displaced a total of 18 people, including eight families who were assisted on scene by the Red Cross and Paterson police, the release said.

The building has a dozen apartments. The fire was brought under control at 11:37 a.m. but firefighters remained on scene until shortly after 1 p.m. The city said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

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