Former Plainsboro Fire Company Volunteer Firefighter Dies in House Fire

The body of a former Burlington County volunteer fire official was recovered Tuesday from the rubble of a blaze at his home, less than a mile from the company he once served, officials said.

Larry Metzger, 52, who lived on Columbus-Jobstown Road in Springfield Township, was unaccounted for after the Monday night blaze and was feared dead. His wife and son, with whom he lived, were not home at the time of the fire, officials said.

A state police dog located Metzger's body Tuesday, according to Trooper Christopher Kay.

Springfield Fire Chief Brian Kokotajlo said Metzger had been a member of the volunteer company for 11 years and was its president until about two years ago.

"He was a well-liked member," Kokotajlo said of Metzger, a Sprint employee who owned a number of antique cars. "Our company is saddened by the loss. He will be missed for the service he provided to the fire company and to the community."

The Plainsboro Fire Company in Middlesex County, where Metzger was chief from 1992 through 1994, issued a statement calling him "a good friend to many of us."

"He was serious about his responsibilities, but also enjoyed a good laugh in the firehouse," according to the statement.

Metzger joined the Plainsboro company in the 1980s. He was among a group that played poker every Friday night at the firehouse, said Plainsboro Lt. Thomas Healey.

"They played for pennies and put them back in the bowl at the end of the night," Healey said.

Metzger once owned a Trenton company that specialized in installing police and fire communications, Healey said.

Kokotajlo said authorities were called to the two-alarm blaze around 5:15 p.m. Monday and arrived at the home within seven to eight minutes. More than a dozen neighboring companies helped shuttle water to the blaze because there are no hydrants in the area, he said. The fire was under control around 7:30 p.m.

The origin and cause are under investigation.