WHIPPANY, NJ -
The owners of Billy and Madeline’s Red Room Tavern in the Whippany section of Hanover were taken to a hospital Monday after they were rescued from their business when the building went up in flames, officials said.
A fire gutted the 84-year-old business Monday afternoon.
Good Samaritans are being credited with saving Billy Fornaro and Madeline Fornaro, as well as their dog. The couple's home was located above the tavern and was also destroyed in the fire. The Fornaros have owned the business since 1980, but the tavern itself dates back to 1933.
"It's an old building. It's a tough building. We made an attack inside for about a half an hour. (We) finally got to the point where we said we have to pull out, keep our guys safe, and worked it from the outside,” Whippany Fire Department Chief Joseph Cortright said.
The business owners were taken to the hospital. Their conditions were not immediately known.
The Morris County Prosecutor's Office is now investigating the cause of the fire.
With so many electrical and non-electrical sources of ignition and sparking and so much combustible material at such an old building, it is no surprise that it went up in flames and was destroyed by the fire. So many restaurant fires are caused by failure to clean and/or properly maintain the exhaust vents. These grease fires are smoldering and eventually ignite massive fires in the early a.m. hours, like in this instance.
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By Justin Zaremba
jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com,
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
The four people injured in a blaze that destroyed Billy & Madeline's Red Room Tavern in Hanover Monday have been treated and released from the hospital as investigators continue to seek the cause of the fire, the prosecutor's office said Tuesday.
Police at the scene said two of those injured were the business owners, Billy and Madeline Fornaro, who live upstairs.
Morris County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Paul Merkler said all four people hurt in the fire were treated and released from Morristown Medical Center Monday.
Authorities received a call reporting the fire at 12:47 p.m., prompting the response of 17 fire departments along with numerous police departments and emergency medical services.
The fire burned through the tavern for several hours, with flames and smoke billowing out of the upper floor windows and attic before the roof collapsed.
Merkler said the tavern was rendered uninhabitable by the damage.
The bar and restaurant in the Whippany section of Hanover has been a local stop for decades, according the tavern's website: "It opened in 1933 by Billy's parents as Fornaros Tavern. It became Billys Red Room when Billy officially took over in 1959. The legendary Billy & Madelines Red Room Tavern was created in 1980 when Billy married the love of his life, Madeline."