Electrical Fire Possible Cause of Katherine Place Blaze

No one was injured in a Thursday fire that took out the living room of a vacant Katherine Place house and caused smoke and fire damage throughout the structure, officials said.

Officer Anthony Cirri, who arrived with his patrol unit after a report was received about a possible fire, kicked in the rear door and yelled to see if anyone was trapped, said Lt. Thomas Kmetz in a statement.

Cirri and others tried to put the blaze with fire extinguishers, but to little effect. The fire raged for approximately half an hour as police were informed by a neighbor that the house was vacant, Kmetz said.

The Hopatcong, Roxbury, and Netcong fire departments responded to the 3:45 pm fire call. The fire, which Kmetz said began in the living room, was probably an electrical fire and was not deemed suspicious.