Roof Collapses in Maplewood House Fire

Fire officials are still investigating the cause of a Maplewood Avenue house fire, which tore through the home Friday night causing the roof to collapse, according to Maplewood Fire Chief Michael Dingelstedt.

The Maplewood Fire Department was called to 57 Maplewood Ave. around 9:40 p.m. on Friday, according to fire officials.

Firefighters found heavy fire coming through the roof of the second floor as well as heavy fire on the first floor. All firefighters were evacuated from the home as a result of the roof collapse, Dingelstedt said.

No one was home at the time and there were no injuries reported, he said.

At the height of the blaze, about 35 firefighters were on the scene from Maplewood, Irvington, South Orange, Millburn and Orange. Coverage at fire headquarters was provided by Union, West Orange and Montclair.

“All suppression efforts were conducted from the exterior,” Dingelstedt said. “The last crews cleared the scene at approximately 3 a.m. on Saturday. The home suffered extensive fire and water damage.”

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined and is under investigation by the Maplewood Fire Department Fire Investigation Team and the Essex County Prosecutors Office Arson Task Force.