'Our Life Just Went Boom Up Into the Sky'

A North Road home that the owners had evacuated because of flooding was severely damaged after an explosion and fire Monday afternoon.

"Our life just went 'boom' up into the sky," said Martha Gordon, the house's 78-year-old owner.

The house is located in a floodplain downstream from the Pompton River Dam. 

Gordon and her husband were not inside the house when the fire occurred. They were previously evacuated when floodwaters rose too high.

"We just heard a really big boom," said Paul Brosman, who lives on nearby Crescent Road. "It's so sad."

Fire commissioner Barry Turner said that a police arson inspector and a fire inspector were conducting an investigation into the cause of the fire. Turner said a firefighter suffered a shoulder injury battling the blaze. Fire Companies 3, 4 and 5, the Volunteer First Aid Squad and PSE&G responded to the fire alarm.

The colonial-style house was probably built in 1924, Gordon said. She has lived there for 44 years. 

She made a point of noting that the house floods regularly ever since the floodgates were installed on the nearby dam in 2007. 

"This area is an original part of the town and it floods all the time now and that shouldn't happen. They never dredge back there," Gordon said, pointing to the river as it flowed through her backyard. 

Gordon said the economy is making it more and more difficult for her to move out of the area. 

"My husband is sick," Gordon said. "I don't know what we're going to do now."