Fire destroys South Brunswick home

For the second time in a week, a fire has destroyed the home of a South Brunswick family.

At about 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, South Brunswick Police received a 911 call from a motorist reporting a house on fire on Anderson Way.  The development is located across from South Brunswick High School.

Firefighters arrived and saw a heavy fire on the top and rear of the home. High winds caused the flames to spread rapidly. No residents were home at the start of the fire, police said. The firefighters had to battle subzero wind chill temperatures and fierce winds to contain the blaze. The fire consumed most of the home and led the roof to collapse into the second floor. The second floor then collapsed into the first floor.

“No one was home at the time, the fire gained considerable headway before firefighters were even dispatched. The freezing temperatures served to make fighting the fire more challenging, causing firefighters to have to be rotated to give them a chance to warm-up in fire trucks and ambulances before re-joining the battle to extinguish the blaze,” Monmouth Junction Fire Chief Scott Smith said. “It’s been a long time since we have had a structure fire like this one in temperatures that were so brutally cold. The extreme weather is challenging on firefighters and our equipment, but everyone did a great job despite the conditions.”

The South Brunswick Township Fire Safety Bureau is investigating the possible cause of the blaze.  

The family of four lost everything. The parents and their two teens are staying with relatives in the area. Community members have started a GoFund Me page to help them.  

All three South Brunswick Fire Departments — Monmouth Junction, Kendall Park, & Kingston — responded to the 2-alarm fire, as well as firefighters from Plainsboro, Jamesburg, and North Brunswick Co. #2. The Monmouth Junction, South Brunswick, Kendall Park and North Brunswick First Aid Squads responded to the scene.