Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced an investigation into an apartment fire at Englewood, that involved a fatality.
On Monday, August 24, at approximately 10:00 p.m., the Englewood Police Department received a 911 call reporting a house fire with an occupant trapped in the rear detached garage, which was used as an apartment, at 77 Grove Street.
The Englewood Fire Department was dispatched. When the Englewood Police and Fire Departments arrived on the scene, the apartment was consumed by heavy fire and the occupant, Clare Mackin, a 57-year-old female, was unaccounted for and presumed to be inside.
Upon entering the apartment and extinguishing the fire, they located a deceased female. The individual is believed to be Clare Mackin, but positive identification is pending from the Bergen County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Englewood Police contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit Arson Squad, and the ensuing investigation revealed that the cause of the fire was accidental and possibly caused by careless smoking.