WEST MILFORD On January 31, a house fire on Macopin Road proved fatal for one of the residents. Fire Companies 1, 2, 3 and 4, along with the West Milford police, responded to a reported house fire at 489 Macopin Rd. around 9:30 p.m. Upon arrival, units found a working fire with a heavy smoke condition and the possibility of residents still insid. Assistant Fire Chief Steve Pellington, with help from off duty Clifton Firefighter Joseph Ackerman, was able to enter the house. Pellington found 49-year-old Charmaine Tkach inside. She was brought out of the house by Pellington. While she was being treated outside, she told Pellington that her husband, Fred Tkach, 58, was still inside. Pellington reentered the home but could not locate Mr. Tkach. After the fire was suppressed, his body was found in the basement of the home. Charmaine Tkach was transported to Chilton Hospital by the West Milford First Aid Squad. She was admitted and treated for smoke inhalation. The cause and origin of the fire is being investigated. The West Milford Police and Fire Departments were assisted by the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department CSI Unit.