Intense Blaze at NJ Home Ignites Nearby Woods

An intense blaze destroyed a single-family home in Howell on Thursday, but the occupants escaped safely thanks to an alert neighbor, authorities said.

A neighbor across the street alerted the residents of the Alex Drive residence that their house was on fire around 12:45 p.m., according to police.

Emergency responders quickly arrived with firefighters battling the main fire.

Howell police officers used fire extinguishers from patrol cars while neighbors and other firefighters used garden hoses and booster lines to knock down smaller blazes that broke out around other homes, officials said.

“The blaze was so intense the woods caught on fire, a shed and fence two houses down began to burn,” police said in a statement.

The efforts of the firs responders and residents kept the fire from spreading to other homes, authorities said. Firefighters remained on the scene through the afternoon putting out hot spots after the fire was out.

The charred home was later demolished.

Howell police couldn’t immediately be reached Friday for information on the cause or origin of the fire.

Firefighters from Wall, Freehold Township and Tinton Falls assisted multiple Howell fire departments.

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