12-Year-Old Accidentally Started Passaic, N.J. Fire That Killed Firefighter

PASSAIC, N.J. — The fire that killed Passaic Firefighter Alberto Tirado in a second-floor fire in three-story tenement on Market Street on May 9 was started by a 12-year-old girl attempting to light a stove with a flaming piece of paper she had lighted from a candle so she could cook a meal for her four siblings. No adult was at home. The girl became startled by the rate of speed at which the dropped paper burned.

Although city authorities confirmed Friday that the fire began accidentally, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office has not yet released the official cause.

Tirado was searching on the third floor for a woman and two children who originally were reported to be in the building. He became separated from his partner. He was surrounded by flames and was running out of air. The roof collapsed before firefighters could reach him. The missing woman and children were located outside the building after Tirado’s death.

Firefighters injured in the fire have been released from the hospitals. The fire left 60 building residents homeless.

Tirado was buried on May 14. Donations to a fund established for Tirado’s widow, Evelyn, may be sent to Banco Popular, 122 Eighth St., Passaic, NJ 07055. (Source: Josh Gohlke, The Bergen (NJ) Record,-May 12, 2001)

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