By Christina Whittington, Special Writer
FLORENCE — Township residents awoke last week to the sound of a familiar noise — the barking of the family dog. However, this time, the dog was alerting the family of something extremely dangerous — a fire consuming the home.
”I do not know the name or breed of the dog, but I was advised that the family dog did alert the residents of the fire,” said Keith Scully, chief of the Florence Township Fire Department, on Tuesday.
Firefighters responded to the one alarm house fire on Front Street at approximately 10 p.m. on July 9.
The dog, owned by the residents of the home, is reported to have alerted them of the fire, which aided to their escape from the residence.
In addition to the Florence Township Fire Department, fire crews from Burlington, Bordentown and Mansfield municipalities, as well as the Endeavor Squad, responded to the one alarm call.
Upon arriving, firefighters noticed heavy fire coming from the back of the family home.
”I believe the fire started in the rear of the residence, but the fire is still under investigation by both the Florence Township Fire Department and Florence Township Police Department,” Fire Chief Scully said.
”The residence has fire, smoke and water damage to it. The house will not be habitable for a while. The residents went and stayed with relatives,” Fire Chief Scully continued. “There were no injuries to either the residents or firefighters during the call.”
The Police Department did not disclose information regarding the incident despite repeated phone calls from the Register-News, including the names of the residents whose home was engulfed in flames on Front Street.

