Girl, 9, jumped three stories into arms of Mahwah police officers Watch video
The cause of the Tuesday afternoon blaze remained under investigation, but it was not considered suspicious, Fire Chief Tom Loreto said Wednesday. About a dozen families were displaced in the blaze at the Society Hill complex on Juniper Way.
"Fire damage was extensive throughout the third floor and roof area and is believed to have started in one of the third floor units," according to the chief.
Cleanup crews were working to get residents back in their apartments Wednesday, he said. The fire damaged a dozen units in the 24-unit building.
Meanwhile, a post on fundraising website GoFundMe.com announced donations were being collected for the fire victims.
"I know that we are fortunate to live in such a wonderful town and I hope that we can come together to assist these families out in their time of need," a message from organizer Kelly Loveman said.
Mahwah police Lt. Jeffrey Dino, Sgt. Brendan Mullin and Officer Thomas Solimano were among the first arriving officers and found the upper floor of the building engulfed in flames.
In an interview, Dino recounted how the officers saw the girl trapped by smoke and flames on a balcony. The officers called for her to jump and caught the child as she dropped three stories.
There were no injuries in the blaze, according to authorities.
"The building did not have sprinklers and the firewall in the common attic consisted of double sheetrock walls, which was code at the time of the construction," said Mahwah police Chief James Batelli.
Loreto, the fire chief, said the blaze reached three-alarms and drew a response from all five township fire companies, along with mutual aid from Ramsey, Allendale, Upper Saddle River, Wyckoff, Tallman and Suffern, New York.
"The job couldn't have been done without them," he said of the firefighting effort.
Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.