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Blaze guts townhouses in borough
The Cranbury Press:
http://www.packetonline.com
By Maria Prato-Gaines
Posted:
Friday, August 29, 2008 11:48 AM EDT
JAMESBURG — With her trembling,
soot-covered finger, Jean Zinn stood at the front
entrance of her Stoneyhill Road residence Wednesday,
pointing out her two-bedroom townhouse that had been
reduced to ashes only one day ago.
A ceramic volcano, one family photo, a gold necklace, a set of car keys and a couple of knickknacks from the basement were all Ms. Zinn had to her name after athe Tuesday morning fire left her Quarry Cove townhouse uninhabitable.
Emergency crews responded to a call at about 1 a.m. Tuesday after families from four separate units evacuated and contacted 911. Ms. Zinn’s and her neighbor’s home, 63 and 65 Stoneyhill Road, were deemed a total loss and are expected to be torn down sometime in the next few days, she said.
Other neighboring units, 61 and 67 Stoneyhill Road, suffered smoke and water damage but were deemed habitable by inspectors, said Jamesburg Fire Chief Dwayne Fitzpatrick.
Though she’s lost everything, Ms. Zinn said she still feels somewhat fortunate. Her son, Nick, had recently returned from a spending several months in Japan and was experiencing some jet lag the night of the fire, an inconvenience that may have just saved their lives.
”Luckily, my son went to bed early,” she said. “He woke up and saw the light on and he yelled at me. I thought it was daylight.”
A ceramic volcano, one family photo, a gold necklace, a set of car keys and a couple of knickknacks from the basement were all Ms. Zinn had to her name after athe Tuesday morning fire left her Quarry Cove townhouse uninhabitable.
Emergency crews responded to a call at about 1 a.m. Tuesday after families from four separate units evacuated and contacted 911. Ms. Zinn’s and her neighbor’s home, 63 and 65 Stoneyhill Road, were deemed a total loss and are expected to be torn down sometime in the next few days, she said.
Other neighboring units, 61 and 67 Stoneyhill Road, suffered smoke and water damage but were deemed habitable by inspectors, said Jamesburg Fire Chief Dwayne Fitzpatrick.
Though she’s lost everything, Ms. Zinn said she still feels somewhat fortunate. Her son, Nick, had recently returned from a spending several months in Japan and was experiencing some jet lag the night of the fire, an inconvenience that may have just saved their lives.
”Luckily, my son went to bed early,” she said. “He woke up and saw the light on and he yelled at me. I thought it was daylight.”
An orange glow grew brighter and
brighter and with only seconds to spare, Nick Zinn
grabbed his cell phone and the pair made their escape
route out the front door, watching from a distance as
the flames crept over their home.
”There was no time, fire was falling out of my ceiling,” Ms. Zinn said. “But I’m here and my son is here. At least we made it out alive.”
Ms. Zinn isn’t too sure she can say the same for two of her cats, which haven’t been seen since the blaze broke out.
”There was no time, fire was falling out of my ceiling,” Ms. Zinn said. “But I’m here and my son is here. At least we made it out alive.”
Ms. Zinn isn’t too sure she can say the same for two of her cats, which haven’t been seen since the blaze broke out.
”I tried to get the cats out but
the flames were coming out the door,” she said.
After nearly five hours at the scene, firefighters from Jamesburg, Helmetta, Cranbury, Englishtown, East Windsor and Monroe extinguished the flames, leaving Ms. Zinn with the ashy remnants of a place she once called home.
”You can see the charred remains of my bed,” she said. “Everything just melted.”
Aside from the two missing felines, no other injuries were reported from the fire, Mr. Fitzpatrick said.
Jamesburg Fire Inspector Brian Wright and Sgt. James Mennuti of the Jamesburg Police Department have yet to estimate damages, although Mr. Fitzpatrick said the units themselves are valued at approximately $300,000 to $350,000 each.
While the incident is still under investigation and no specific details are being released, inspectors believe that the fire began somewhere in the backyard deck area of Ms. Zinn’s home, Mr. Fitzpatrick said.
After nearly five hours at the scene, firefighters from Jamesburg, Helmetta, Cranbury, Englishtown, East Windsor and Monroe extinguished the flames, leaving Ms. Zinn with the ashy remnants of a place she once called home.
”You can see the charred remains of my bed,” she said. “Everything just melted.”
Aside from the two missing felines, no other injuries were reported from the fire, Mr. Fitzpatrick said.
Jamesburg Fire Inspector Brian Wright and Sgt. James Mennuti of the Jamesburg Police Department have yet to estimate damages, although Mr. Fitzpatrick said the units themselves are valued at approximately $300,000 to $350,000 each.
While the incident is still under investigation and no specific details are being released, inspectors believe that the fire began somewhere in the backyard deck area of Ms. Zinn’s home, Mr. Fitzpatrick said.
For now, Ms. Zinn said her
insurance company has set up her and her son in
furnished lodgings at Fresh Ponds Village in Dayton.
”We really don’t need much space,” she said holding back the tears as best she could. “We don’t have anything.”
Although the damaged homes will be rebuilt and rehabbed, Ms. Zinn said it will be at least a year before she can once again walk through the now incinerated remains of her front door.
”We really don’t need much space,” she said holding back the tears as best she could. “We don’t have anything.”
Although the damaged homes will be rebuilt and rehabbed, Ms. Zinn said it will be at least a year before she can once again walk through the now incinerated remains of her front door.
