By sandi carpello
Staff Writer
PHOTOS BY RYAN D. FENSTERMAKER Above, firefighters shoot water onto a house on Spotswood-Englishtown Road in Monroe Sunday. Two residents were injured in the blaze, and the house was destroyed. Left, firefighters work at the rear of the house.
MONROE — A fire swept through an old one-story home on Spotswood-Englishtown Road Sunday afternoon, sending two elderly residents to the hospital with minor injuries, authorities said.
The man and woman were the only residents inside the home at the time of the fire, which completely charred the interior of the house at the corner of Clayton Avenue, said District 1 Fire Chief Richard Hayes.
The fire was called in by a neighbor at about 1:30 p.m. Firefighters from the township’s three districts, who were assisted by the Spotswood and south Old Bridge fire departments, arrived at the scene within three minutes of the call. The blaze was brought under control within 30 minutes of the first fire truck’s arrival, Hayes said.
The two residents initially discovered the fire in the bedroom. After an unsuccessful attempt to extinguish the blaze on their own, the residents fled from the house.
"One resident escaped through the back door, while the other escaped through the front door," he said.
Authorities said the fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical malfunction inside the home.
The two residents suffered minor injuries related to smoke inhalation, and were transported to Raritan Bay Medical Center, Old Bridge division, where they were later released.
No firefighters were injured, Hayes said.
Karen MacHat, a neighbor, said she was surprised by the magnitude of the fire.
"It was bad. It went up very fast," she said.


