MONROE A two-story, four-bedroom house on Spotswood-Englishtown Road was destroyed by an early-morning fire Wednesday.
By:Al Wicklund
MONROE A two-story, four-bedroom house on Spotswood-Englishtown Road was destroyed by an early-morning fire Wednesday.
The occupants of the house, a four-member family, escaped unharmed.
"The house was totally destroyed," Monroe Township Detective Sgt. Paul Banach said Wednesday.
Sgt. Banach said a smoke alarm sounded at 2:37 a.m. waking Janelle Gatyas, 26. Ms. Gatyas woke her father, Bernard, and the two discovered flames coming from the laundry room.
The family, including Mr. Gatyas’ wife, Jeanette, and 13-year-old son, Jordan, left the building.
Sgt. Banach said Mr. Gatyas went back into the burning house with a garden hose to try to extinguish the fire, but was forced back by the intensity of the heat and smoke.
Joseph Sensale, chief of Monroe Township Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, said the fire was in an advanced stage when firemen arrived on the scene.
He said the family was lucky to get out when they did.
The fire was battled by some 40 firemen from Fire Company No. 1, the Central Monroe Volunteer Fire Department, the Applegarth Volunteer Fire Department, the Jamesburg Volunteer Fire Company No, 1 and the Spotswood Fire Company.
The fire was declared under control after two hours.
The Gatyas family members were taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick where they were treated for minor injuries and released.
One Monroe firefighter, Christopher Alteri, also was taken to Robert Wood Johnson where he was treated for smoke inhalation and released.
Sgt. Banach said the fire is considered accidental. He said the cause of the blaze is still being determined as is the financial loss suffered by the Gatyas family.