Man hurt in fire

Family of five forced to leave home

By: Sharlee Joy DiMenichi
   A house fire at a single-family Norton Road home burned a township man and displaced he and his family Feb. 6, police said.
   Alan Mandel, 45, suffered second-degree burns on his hands while trying to extinguish a fire in a storage area behind his attached garage at about 9 p.m., police said.
   The declined to release the ages of their children, said LouAnne Wolf, director of Welfare and Social Services for the township.
   The family has two adults and three children.
   Mr. Mandel discovered the fire after smelling smoke while putting his child to bed.
   He was taken Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick by the Monmouth Junction First Aid Squad. Mr. Mandel was treated and released.
   Thirty firefighters from the Monmouth Junction and Kingston fire departments extinguished the fire after fighting it for three hours, police said.
   Fire officials said the fire was accidental and they are continuing to investigate, according to police.
   The residents of the house, which was severely damaged by smoke and water, are staying with relatives, police said.