Caught on Camera: Irvington home bursts into flames

Feb 01, 2024, 1:52amUpdated 5h ago

A home in Irvington burst into flames Wednesday – and the whole thing was caught on a doorbell security camera.

The incident happened Wednesday afternoon at a home on Chester Avenue. The doorbell camera caught the moments just before the home caught fire. The house was completely engulfed in flames within minutes as firefighters arrived on the scene.

It was not clear if anyone was inside the home when the fire started. A man dressed in black is seen sitting on the front steps. He is then seen walking away and moments later the house goes up in flames. The person’s connection to the home was not known.

A witness tells News 12 New Jersey that he called the police and tried to help the people in the surrounding homes.

“I just knocked on that door right there to see if anybody was inside the house and just helped them to try to get out real quickly before it started spreading over to the other house,” says Osa Omokaro.

News 12 has learned that a nurse lives in the house that caught fire with some small children and her adult child. Neighbors say the nurse was not home at the time, but the adult child was possibly home.

The American Red Cross says that it is helping the family of five find a place to stay for the night.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.