By Doug Carman, Staff Writer
HIGHTSTOWN — Cheryl Wilson looked into what remained of her home at 122 William St. Wednesday morning. Her outlook on salvaging the remains of her home was as dark as the rainy sky overhead. Maybe as dark as the ashen living room, which was too badly scorched for her to step inside.
”It’s hard to sit there and look and see your whole life is gone,” said Ms. Wilson, who lived there with her 90-year-old mother, Elanor, for 44 years.
The two-alarm fire gutted the Wilson home Monday morning. Ms. Wilson said the home was insured.
Hightstown Engine Co. No. 1 Deputy Chief Scott Jenkins, who was on scene during the blaze, said his tower truck arrived shortly after the fire was reported at about 10 a.m. Mr. Jenkins said that upon arrival, 122 William St. was “fully involved” in a house fire, with heavy smoke and flames shooting out of the front and eastern sides of the home.
Mr. Jenkins said police officers pulled a 90-year-old woman from the home before firefighters arrived, whom Cheryl Wilson identified as her mother Elanor Wilson.
Hightstown Mayor Steve Kirson said at the scene that the woman escaped but was suffering from mild smoke inhalation, though she refused to be taken to the hospital.
Artie Muse, Cheryl Wilson’s sister-in-law, said Wednesday that Elanor Wilson was now living at another one of her daughter’s houses. She said ’Elanor was coping with the aftermath as well as she could as the family was “making decisions” on what they were going to do next.
”She’s doing fine … She’s holding up,” Ms. Muse said of her mother-in-law.
Mr. Jenkins said it took about 40 minutes to control the fire, while firefighters remained on scene until about 2:20 p.m. By about noon, firefighters continued to rip out charred ceiling panels and walls while pushing burned bookshelves, mattresses and beams out the side windows.
”There was stuff packed in the house, it was a maze,” Chief Jenkins said.
Chief Jenkins said the firefighters had set up a fire line and kept water on a nearby house to keep it from catching fire.
”They did a great job in doing that, the fact that it didn’t spread,” Mayor Kirson said.
Chief Jenkins said the fire appeared to be accidental and electrical in nature, though he deferred to East Windsor Fire Official Kevin Brink for further details on the cause of the fire.
Messages for Mr. Brink were not immediately returned.
Neighboring fire companies from East Windsor, Jamesburg, Plainsboro, Groveville, Robbinsville, Cranbury, Lawrence, Millstone and Manalapan came to assist, along with ambulances from Princeton and Capital Health Systems.
Cheryl Wilson and Ms. Muse said they were only able to salvage a few hats, six family photos, some jewelry and a couple of other small items.
”Total destruction. Absolutely nothing,” Ms. Wilson said. “All of the big pieces were destroyed.”
Still, they said they felt the firefighters, police and everyone involved helped them tremendously.
”We’re going to try to find temporary housing and try to rebuild,” Ms. Wilson said.
”Things can be replaced,” Ms. Muse added.

