Woman, Daughter Escape, Cat Rescued From Fire

A woman and her daughter escaped an electrical fire inside their Main Street apartment Thursday evening.

The fire began at about 6:50 p.m., and sent the woman to hospital with smoke inhalation.

The fire occurred in the Hamilton House apartment complex at 540 Main St. in Chatham Borough. At least two occupants of the apartment were home at the time, a mother, identified by neighbors as Maggie Corcoran, and her daughter.

The daughter was "fine," according to the borough's OEM Coordinator Bill Nauta. Corcoran was transported to a hospital by the to be treated for smoke inhilation.

Chief Peter Glogolich, of the , said the fire was electrical and occurred near the television set. When firefighters entered the apartment, they rescued the resident's pet cat, Nala.

Nauta said the woman would stay with family in the area until the apartment was deemed safe for her to return to.

The fire was confined to none apartment on the second floor of one of the complex's three buildings. It suffered severe smoke damage, and adjacent apartments also suffered some smoke damage. Fire departments used fans to ventilate the units.

One apartment on the first floor of the unit, directly below where the fire started, had some water damage, though the residents, a mother and son, were not injured.

Supervisor Michael Sullivan, himself a retired fire fighter from East Orange, said in the 26 years he has lived at Hamilton House, the complex has never had a fire.

Chatham Township Fire Department, Madison Fire Department and Florham Park Fire Department also responded to the fire.

Chatham Patch will update this story as further information becomes available.