Fatal Fire May Have Been Caused By Extension Cords

The "improper use of extension cords" to heat an unattached structure may have contributed to a Rockaway Township residential fire that killed a woman and her teenage son, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office said Monday.

Pamela Decker, 59, and her son, Daniel, 17, were killed in Friday's early-morning fire on Green Pond Road. Brent Decker, the husband and father of the victims, was taken to Saint Clare's Hospital for treatment of undisclosed injuries sustained in the blaze, the prosecutor's office said.

According to Acting Prosecutor Fredric Knapp, the fire began in the rear of the residence in the area of a car port.

An investigation conducted by the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Arson Environmental Crimes Unit revealed the "improper use of extension cords in the area of the origin to heat an unattached structure on the property," Knapp said.

"Cold weather and high winds and an insufficient number and placement of smoke detectors were factors in the outcome of the fire," Knapp said.

The blaze does not appear to be suspicious, Knapp said.

The Rockaway Township Fire Department, Rockaway Township Police Department, Rockaway Borough Fire Department, Picatinny Arsenal Fire Department, St. Clare’s Emergency Medical Services, Morris County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Section and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Unit responded to the scene and have assisted in the investigation.