Cops say angry woman lit paper towels, sparking Paterson fire

PATERSON — A lit roll of paper towels is being blamed for starting a fire that spread to several apartments in August, displacing 60 people.

Yanit Valdez, 38, of Manhattan, lit the roll on fire during an argument with a resident of 40 Cianci St., which caused a couch to ignite, according to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes.

All the residents of the apartments escaped but four city firefighters were treated for minor injuries.

The fire burned for hours and also destroyed several businesses on the lower level of the building, according to NorthJersey.com's coverage of the fire.

A Passaic County grand jury handed up an indictment charging Valdez with with two counts of second-degree aggravated arson, four counts of third-degree aggravated assault and one count of fourth-degree creating a risk of widespread injury. She is currently being held at the Passaic County Jail.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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