Port Reading fire leaves man fighting for life
UPDATE: Stephen Competello died Jan 21.
WOODBRIDGE, NJ -- A Woodbridge man remained in critical condition Thursday, three days after he was injured in a fire at his home in Port Reading on the Carteret border, authorities said.
Stephen Competello, 56, was left unresponsive and hospitalized after the blaze on Willow Street, which is considered accidental in nature, police said.
The fire claimed the life of the man’s two dogs.
The blaze was reported by Carteret firefighter Bob Magella, who was on his way to dinner about 5:45 p.m. Monday when he saw smoke coming from inside the home, police said. Magella then stopped his car, ran up to the home and opened the door to find smoke filling the home and flames coming from the bottom of the steps.
He yelled into the home but heard no response, then shut the door as he heard sirens in the distance, according to a police report.
It was not immediately clear how long it took to bring the fire under control. But as police officers Nicholas Iacovou and Kevin Hawley arrived, Carteret First Aid Squad members were performing CPR on the homeowner, according to Iacovou’s report.
The squad later took the homeowner, identified as Competello, to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway. Hospital spokeswoman Donna Mancuso said Wednesday afternoon that Competello was listed in critical condition. He remained in intensive care Thursday, the hospital said.
The victim’s brother told police that he had been inside the house by himself with two dogs, a police report said. The dogs died from smoke inhalation.
A second resident was not home at the time of the fire, police said.
Investigators found that the blaze began in a utility room on the ground floor and traveled up the stairs and into the living room, police said. That left the utility room with fire, heat and smoke damage and the upstairs with smoke and heat damage.
It was not immediately clear Wednesday if officials had determined a cause.