JERRY WOLKOWITZ Firefighters battle smoke conditions as they place a hose inside the window of a home on Cold Spring Road, Freehold Township, where a fire broke out on Friday afternoon.
FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — A fire in a house at 76 Cold Spring Road, off Double Creek Parkway, was aflame by the time police officers and firefighters arrived at the scene on Friday.
Fortunately, the only resident inside was removed from the smoke-filled home in time.
Alexander Zanko, 82, called police at 4:10 p.m. to report that he smelled smoke in the house. The first officer on the scene was Jack Mandala, who was able to escort Zanko from the house and remove his vehicle from the garage that was also full of smoke.
According to Freehold Township Police Lt. Bob Brightman, when Mandala got to the residence he could see flames.
"It took four fire companies to put the fire out," Brightman said, noting that the Freehold Township Independent Fire Company, the East Freehold Fire Company, the Adelphia Fire Company and the Howell Fire Company responded.
The Freehold First Aid and Emergency Squad and MONOC paramedics also were at the scene, Brightman said, as was First Deputy Fire Marshal Hank Stryker of the Monmouth County Fire Marshal’s Officer, who initially determined that the fire was not suspicious.
Zanko was taken to CentraState Medical Center, West Main Street, for treatment of smoke inhalation and three firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene.