MANCHESTER – No one was home when a fire broke out at 609 Willow Court, ultimately destroying it and causing neighbors to be evacuated.
Police said the first report of the fire came in at 9 a.m. on January 15. When police arrived, there were already flames coming from the roof of the home.
While no one in either unit of the duplex, neighbors were evacuated in case the fires spread. No residents were injured, but one firefighter sustained an ankle injury fighting the blaze and was brought to Community Medical Center in Toms River.
The cause is still unknown at this point, but “investigators cannot rule out electrical malfunctions in a bedroom,” police said.
The home is uninhabitable and the residents in both units had to be relocated to family.
Manchester, Ridgeway, and Whiting Volunteer fire departments along with fire crews from the Lakehurst, Joint Base, Forked River and Bayville fire departments responded to the scene and extinguished the fire. EMTs from Manchester Township Emergency Medical Services also responded to assist at the scene.
