SOUTH ORANGE, New Jersey (WABC) — Tears streamed down Stephanie Staszak’s face after her childhood home in South Orange, New Jersey went up in flames.

“I had three dogs in there. And one of them just passed, and the other one is not doing good,” she said, “I left home to go get my haircut…and my neighbor called me and said ‘your house is on fire.’”

Crews from South Essex, Millburn, Newark and West Orange all responded to 365 Melrose Place after noon on Saturday.

Officials say medics rushed one firefighter to the hospital.

Sisters Tina and Luisa live across the street.

“I saw near our neighbor’s house. There was rising smoke,” said Luisa.

“We smelled smoke and like, we, that was something in our house when we saw neighbors outside talking,” added Tina.

Community members say they are rallying behind Staszak.

“It was heartening, actually, to see how quickly everyone came to respond,” said neighbor Lauren Charlotte.

Neighbors also set up a GoFundMe to help Staszak.

As for Staszak, the unknown is worrying.

“I’m sort of sitting here waiting to see what I could find out,” she says.

She is grateful for the support from family and neighbors.

“I’m as good as I can be for right now,” she adds.

Staszak was able to save a few treasured items in the middle of the rubble – like a family photo with her mom holding her brother. She is cherishing a life once lived at the home as loved ones and neighbors helped keep her spirits up

The Red Cross was at the scene offering assistance to Staszack.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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We New Jerseyans have a lot to brag about. 

From our beautiful shores, iconic musicians, actors and inventors that hail from all over the state and the unique blend of cultures no matter where you go — the Garden State is a place many are proud to represent. 

Perhaps our most underrated bragging right is the fact that we don’t ever have to leave our cars at the gas station and reach for that pump because, well, we don’t pump our own gas. We technically aren’t even allowed to. 

When the New Jerseyan ventures on a road trip to another state, they might wait in their car a little too long before realizing a gas attendant won’t be there to assist them. So why are we the only place in the country that has this luxury?

When did New Jersey ban pumping your own gas? 

For one, New Jersey has a self-service ban at gas stations dating back to 1949 with the Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act, citing safety concerns in relation to fire hazards as one of the main reasons for this ban. 

Due to the potential danger from dispensing fuel, the New Jersey state law states “it is in the public interest that gasoline station operators have the control needed over that activity.”

Yet, protecting the people from fire isn’t the sole reason this law exists. 

In the late 1940s, an entrepreneur named Irving Reginald opened a massive 24-pump self-service gas station in Hackensack with much lower prices than competitors. In efforts to intimidate Reginald, some competitors enacted a spiteful drive-by shooting at his station, in Sopranos-esque fashion. 

When those attempts to stop Reginald were futile, they switched their efforts from continued violence to reforming legislation, and shortly after the Gasoline Retailers Association proposed the self-service ban, which was approved quickly. 

‘Jersey Girls Don’t (Want to) Pump Gas’

Regardless of the unpleasant and somewhat vicious origins of the self-service ban, New Jerseyans seem to be content with it. 

A 2022 Monmouth University study found that 60 percent of residents are opposed to a pump-your-own gas policy, with 54 percent supporting self-service as long as an attendant is still on duty to assist. 

People argue that full-service gas stations lead to higher gas prices due to labor costs, but Oregon, who lifted their self-service ban back in 2018 then again fully in 2023, only saw gas prices decrease by 4,4 cents per gallon during their first ban. 

Would self serve gas stations save money in NJ?

Even if the ban was repealed, gas prices wouldn’t go down by more than a few cents because the employment of full-time gas attendants lowers these stations’ insurance costs, since fewer accidents occur with less risk involved. 

More than 57 million deadly doses of fentanyl have been seized through the United States in just 30 days, including 46,000 in New Jersey.

The seizures were made in the second phase of Operation Fentanyl Free America, led by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The second phase of Operation Fentanyl Free America took place between Jan. 12 and Feb. 10 with the seizure of more than 4.7 million fentanyl pills and nearly 2,396 pounds of fentanyl powder. The 30-day enforcement effort led to more than 3,000 arrests across the U.S., and the removal of more than 57 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl from circulation.

“Families across America are losing loved ones to the fentanyl being pushed by drug cartels that care only about making a profit. The DEA is attacking this threat with unwavering determination to protect our communities,” said DEA New Jersey Field Division Special Agent in Charge Towanda R. Thorne-James in a news release. “Phase II of this operation saw the men and women of DEA in New Jersey seize more than 46,000 fentanyl pills, 18 guns, almost $250,000.00 in drug money, and make 37 arrests. We will continue to work to stop this threat and make saving lives our top priority.”