Lightning may have caused fire

SOUTH RIVER – Lightning may be to blame for a recent fire that rendered a Leonardine Avenue home uninhabitable.

The fire was reported by neighbors, who observed smoke and flames coming from a single-family home at 6:39 p.m. June 28. Two neighbors, who witnessed the fire from their Heritage Drive home and knew the homeowner was not in the house at the time, went inside the burning structure to retrieve the homeowner’s pets, according to a police report on the incident.

The two dogs were sheltered safely at the neighbors’ residence until their owner returned.

Investigators reported that a lightning strike may have caused the fire, according to police. However, South River Fire Marshal Julia Hughes told Greater Media Newspapers this week that the cause of the fire is not known.

“Realistically, I can’t say that it was lightning,” Hughes said. “The origin was in the roof and the cause was undetermined. … It is not suspicious, but it is undetermined.”

Police arrived at the scene to find smoke and fire billowing from the eaves in front of the two-story residence. The South River Fire Department responded and extinguished the flames with the assistance of the East Brunswick Fire Department.

Though the house was deemed uninhabitable after the fire, no injuries were reported during the incident.

Firefighters contained the fire to portions of the roof and attic, despite increasingly warm conditions that makes their work difficult, Hughes said.

“The fire department did a great job,” Hughes said. “They did a fantastic job.”

The husband, wife and child who reside at the residence are staying with family for now.