Tuesday night fire displaces family of eight on Tintle Avenue

A Tintle Avenue family of eight lost everything Tuesday night after fire raced through the second floor of the residence, leaving them homeless, officials said.

West Milford Fire Marshal Michael Moscatello said that the call came in around 6:15 p.m. Feb. 11 and arriving firefighters found fire burning in a second floor bedroom at 42 Tintle Avenue.

The crews responding to the two-alarm blaze were able to bring the fire under control in about 30 minutes, but the blaze left the second floor of the home “gutted.”

“(Firefighters) knocked (the fire) down pretty quick,” Moscatello said. “The upstairs was severely damaged.”

Moscatello said the downstairs also suffered smoke and water damage, rendering the home uninhabitable.

He said there were no reported injuries and that the family of eight, consisting of four adults, four children, and a pet dog were able to escape the fire.

All four West Milford fire companies responded to the scene along with units from Ringwood and Highland Lakes, he said.

The fire is currently under investigation by the West Milford Fire Marshal and is not suspicious, Moscatello said.

In a Facebook post, Mayor Michele Dale asked the community to rally around the family and contribute to a GoFundMe.com campaign started by family friend Samantha Villalobos.

“Any help you can provide this family will be greatly appreciated,” Dale said in her Facebook post linking to the funding campaign. “We have a great community and I am confident we will unite and provide assistance if we can. Thank you to West Milford Volunteer Fire department, police, and Office of Emergency Management for all you did today and every day.”

According to the GoFundMe page started by Villalobos, the home belonged to longtime residents Lisa Szwed and her husband.

Their daughter, Jeni Mastrangelo, also lived in the home with her boyfriend and four children.

According to the post, Mastrangelo and her family moved to West Milford from Paterson a few months ago.

“As a close friend of the family I am hoping to raise money to restore the personal belongings lost in the fire, and possibly raise funds that would go towards buying a new home,” Villalobos said in the post. “The house has burned beyond recovery and the family is devastated.”

Those wishing to donate to the family can go to the GOFundMe link at: www.bit.ly/tintleavehelp.