HILLSBOROUGH: Family and pets escape house fire

By Audrey Levine, Staff Writer
   For a family whose Starview Drive home was destroyed in a Tuesday morning fire, things could be worse.
   ”Our neighbors have been great and are helping us out,” said Iris Houlihan, who returned home after driving her daughter to school to find smoke billowing out of the second floor. “Considering the circumstances, we are doing OK.”
   The home, owned by Ms. Houlihan and her husband, Michael, was deemed uninhabitable after sustaining extensive damage as police responded to a structure fire at 9:32 a.m.

Blaze also damages Homestead property


   A Homestead Road home was deemed uninhabitable after a fire caused moderate damage to the structure at 4:48 a.m. Saturday.
   Police responded to the scene after receiving a call about the fire, and found heavy smoke coming from the roof, and flames inside the front door. The fire was brought under control, but there was moderate damage to the structure.
   Homeowner Robert Renner, 39, was not in the home at the time of the fire.
   According to Hillsborough Township Police Lt. Bill Geary, it is believed that the fire started in one of the utility closets of the ranch-style home. He said the fire and damage was mostly contained to the front area of the house.
   The exact cause of the fire is still being investigated by the Hillsborough Township Police Department and the Hillsborough Fire Safety Bureau.
   Lt. Geary said the homeowner is not allowed to remain in the home because of the structural damage, as determined by the township’s Business Department.
   ”He is not permitted to be inside until repairs are done,” Lt. Geary said.
   Lt. Geary said Mr. Renner is currently staying with relatives.
   Responding to the fire were the Hillsborough Township Police Department; Hillsborough Fire units 1, 2 and 3; Neshanic Fire Company; Manville Fire Department; Hillsborough Rescue Squad; Somerville Rescue Squad; Somerset Medical Center MICU; Hillsborough Township Office of Emergency Management; and the Hillsborough Fire Safety Bureau.

   According to police, heavy smoke was billowing from the second story and roof of the residence upon their arrival. It was later determined the fire originated on the second floor of the home.
   Ms. Houlihan said the entire second story of the house was destroyed, and the ceiling broke through, raining down debris on the rest of the building. In addition, she said, her formerly finished basement now is filled with debris and 4 inches of water.
   ”Everything was destroyed,” she said.
   Fortunately, Ms. Houlihan said, no one was in the house at the time of the fire, and she was able to get most of the family pets out of the building, saving her two dogs, two cats and a rabbit. The only pet that did not survive was the family’s fish.
   ”We had a lot of pets in the house, and (most) are fine,” she said. “That was the most important thing for us.”
   Although the cause of the fire still is being investigated by the Hillsborough Township Police Department and the Hillsborough Fire Safety Bureau, Ms. Houlihan said she thinks it might have to do with a loss of power in her neighborhood that morning. She said there might have been a power surge that triggered the fire, which completely engulfed an upstairs bedroom by the time she returned home from Hillsborough Middle School.
   ”We lost power for about an hour,” she said. “With a power surge, I think something must have triggered the fire and might have burned out.”
   Much of the morning was a matter of coincidence, Ms. Houlihan said, as she often goes straight to work after dropping her daughter at school. Because of the power failure, she said her timing was off, and she decided to work from home instead, arriving just a little bit after the fire started.
   ”Fortunately I came home, rather than going to work,” she said. “I made it in time (to save pets). Materials can be replaced.”
   While no residents of the home were injured, firefighter Gregg Villano, of the Flagtown Fire Company, sustained an injury to his ankle while fighting in the fire. He was transported to Somerset Medical Center and released the same day.
   Responding to the fire were the Hillsborough Township Police Department; Hillsborough Fire Companies 1, 2 and 3; Neshanic Fire Company; East Millstone Fire Department; Finderne Fire Company; Somerville Fire Department; Bradley Gardens Fire Company; Montgomery Township Fire Company #45; Elizabeth Avenue Fire Company in Franklin; Readington Fire Company; Hillsborough Township Fire Safety Bureau; Hillsborough Emergency Medical Services; Hillsborough Township Office of Emergency Management; Hillsborough Township Building Department; Hillsborough Township Social Services; and the Somerville Rescue Squad.
   For now, Ms. Houlihan said, her family is staying at a neighbor’s home until Saturday when they will be able to rent a townhouse in Montgomery, which was found for them by another neighbor. But this move will be temporary as Ms. Houlihan said they are planning to rebuild a home on the very spot where they had lived since February 1999.
   ”We plan to rebuild on the same site,” she said. “(For now), we are grateful for all the help we have received.”