Blaze took house down on Saturday morning
By: Eve Collins
MANSFIELD Deedee McElven said she lost everything in the fire and now doesn’t know if she will have a place to stay at the end of the week.
The blaze destroyed the home she has shared with Robert Coleman, 32, and all their belongings on Saturday, April 17, at 11 a.m.
"It was traumatic," she said. "We watched them plow (the remains of) our house."
The couple do not have children, but their dog perished in the fire. A cat is still missing, she said, and probably ran away.
Ms. McElven, 36, originally of Southampton, had lived in the house on Kinkora Road for 10 years. Mr. Coleman, she said, has been a lifelong resident of the township.
"You never think about what happens to people and then you see it," Ms. McElven said in a phone interview Tuesday.
The two have been staying in the Laurel Notch Motel in Bordentown Township. The Red Cross paid for three days of their stay, and welfare will keep them there through the week, but Ms. McElven said she does not know where they will go from there.
Fire Departments responding to the fire included Mansfield Township, Florence Township, Bordentown District 2, and one engine from Cinnaminson.
Mansfield Township Fire Chief Sean Gable was not immediately available to comment on what caused the fire and could not be reached Wednesday.
Ms. McElven said she and Mr. Coleman were outside when she heard a loud noise and saw that a fire had started in the living room in an electrical socket.
They suffered minor burns to their faces and hands, she said. The Red Cross gave them lotions and bandages to treat the injuries, she said.
Otherwise, the couple has nothing, she said. Even their identification burned up in the fire.
Ms. McElven said Mansfield Mayor Patrick DeLorenzo has been working with county and Red Cross officials and has gotten food, clothing and puzzle books for them to keep them occupied.
"The long-term goal is to see about rebuilding their home," the mayor said on Monday. Mr. Coleman owned the home and the land, said Ms. McElven.
Donations can be sent to: Mansfield Township, c/o Mayor Patrick DeLorenzo, P.O. Box 249, Columbus, NJ 08022.