Neighbors mourn 79-year-old grandmother killed in Wyckoff house fire
A neighbor created a curbside memorial with a chair from Virginia Ingenito’s porch.
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Neighbors are remembering a 79-year-old woman who was killed in a house fire in Wyckoff over the weekend. Officials say that Virginia Ingenito died in the Sunday afternoon fire at 481 Meer Ave.
Neighbors say Ingenito was a kind, loving mother and grandmother.
A neighbor created a curbside memorial with a chair from Ingenito's front porch as a way for loved ones to commemorate her memory. It's surrounded by flowers and seasonal decorations just steps away from the now-charred home. Neighbors tell News 12 that Ingenito lived there with her son, Charlie, for about a decade. They say he was her primary caretaker and that she was beginning to show symptoms of slight dementia.
RELATED: Police: 79-year-old woman dead following Wyckoff fire
A nearby resident noticed smoke toward the back of the home Sunday afternoon and immediately called 911. When firefighters arrived, another neighbor was on the phone with Ingenito's son. He told her that his mother must have been inside and that the last time he saw her, she was watching television.
First responders found Ingenito inside the home, unresponsive. Neighbors recalled seeing dark and heavy smoke as the fire quickly spread and engulfed the home. They said more than 100 first responders were on scene with multiple fire departments responding. According to one neighbor, some family members were on the scene and completely devastated. One attempted to try and rescue Ingenito but was held back by first responders. Ingenito was very close with her family and even named her Totowa hair salon after her son.
Neighbors are planning on helping the family out in any way they can and will provide details once they solidify their plans.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
