WOODBRIDGE — A family of eight that was left homeless by a fire that tore through their Avenel home last week is receiving assistance from their community.
“We hope the Woodbridge community does what they always do, which is [to provide] an outpouring of support,” Mayor John McCormac said.
“They’re still in shock,” he said of the Austria family, “but the good thing is that everybody’s safe.”
McCormac issued a call to action the morning after the Nov. 7 blaze, which occurred just before 7 p.m.
Firefighters arrived to find heavy flames engulfing the entire first floor of the Cornell Street home. The five family members who were home at the time escaped without injury, according to Cory Spillar, fire official with the Avenel Fire Prevention Bureau.
He said the blaze appears to have started in the living room, near the front door of the residence, as a result of an electrical malfunction. It soon spread to the second level of the house, when flames licking outside first-floor windows made contact with the home’s main power source and knocked down a power line, Spillar said.
“It broke away from the house and fell, and was arcing in the driveway, so firefighters had to stay away from that area,” he said, adding that the errant power line only added to the difficulty in extinguishing the blaze.
“It charred everywhere outside, and inside is just gutted,” McCormac said of the house. “They were lucky to escape with the clothes on their backs.”
McCormac announced fundraising efforts for the family, asking for donations of cash, checks, new clothing and gift cards. The greatest need is for monetary donations, along with gift cards for food, clothing, kitchen, bath and bedroom supplies, according to the mayor.
“We’re working on housing now,” he said. “They literally need everything.”
Donations of clothing must be new, and items can be purchased for the following family members: 6-month-old boy, 2-yearold boy, 7-year-old girl or 8-year-old boy, two women in their early 20s, and the children’s young grandparents, McCormac said.
Items can be brought to a spaghetti dinner fundraiser that is set for Nov. 16, 2-8 p.m., at the St. Andrew’s Knights of Columbus, 109 Morrisey Ave., Avenel. The hall is located one block from Rahway Avenue, and across from Maple Tree Manor and the Woodbridge Developmental Center.
Tickets to the dinner are $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and $5 for children under 12. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door. Contact the mayor’s office at 732- 602-6015 for additional information.