Dog alerts homeowner to overnight house fire in West Milford
West Milford. A dog alerted its owner to an early morning house fire on Elm Street, allowing all occupants to escape safely before firefighters brought the blaze under control.
| 19 Jun 2026 | 02:44
Firefighters on the scene at a house fire on Elm Street. (
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The scene of a house fire on Elm Street. (
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A dog is being credited with alerting a homeowner to an overnight house fire that heavily damaged a residence on Elm Street.
The West Milford Fire Department was dispatched at 12:48 a.m. to a reported structure fire at 21 Elm St.
First-arriving firefighters found the home heavily involved in fire. All occupants had safely exited the residence before crews arrived.
According to fire officials, the homeowner was alerted to the fire by her dog, allowing everyone inside to escape without injury.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control within approximately 30 minutes.
All six West Milford fire companies responded to the scene. Mutual aid departments from neighboring communities provided coverage during the incident.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the West Milford Township Fire Marshal’s Office.
Firefighters remained at the scene until about 4 a.m.
