Prosecutor: Woman, pet dog, die in North Bergen fire, 12 people displaced

A North Bergen woman and her pet dog perished in a fire that broke out late yesterday afternoon, also displacing 12 people, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez announced. 

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

Yesterday at approximately 4:30 p.m., the North Bergen Police Department received reports of a possible working fire on 43rd Street and Grand Avenue. Responding police discovered that a home at 1502 43rd St. was on fire, Suarez said in a statement.

Firefighters from the North Hudson Regional Fire Department, with assistance from the Jersey City and Hoboken Fire Departments, were battling the blaze.

After the fire was extinguished, first responders entered the building and located the
lifeless body of a woman on the second floor. She was later identified as Kimberly Henson, 57, a resident of the building, was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 5:45 p.m., officials said.

A dog, believed to be owned by the deceased, was also found dead on the second floor.

All other occupants of the residence were safely evacuated and approximately 12 individuals were displaced by this fire, police said.

Two firefighters with the North Hudson Regional Fire Department were injured in the fire. They were transported by Emergency Medical Services to Palisades Medical Center where they were treated for minor injuries and released, authorities said.

Members of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Homicide Unit are investigating the fatality and the origin and cause of the fire, with assistance from the North Bergen Police Department, the North Hudson Regional Fire Department and the New Jersey State Division of Fire Safety, officials said.

Based on the preliminary investigation, it appears that the fire may have started in a first floor apartment and the fire does not appear to be suspicious and no arrests have been made at this time.

The investigation into the origin and cause of the fire is ongoing and anyone with additional
information is asked to contact the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Homicide Unit at 201-915-1345.

The blaze was the second to break out in North Bergen in the midst of more wintery weather, with the local MUA plant catching fire in the morning.