Morning House Fire Extinguished In Barnegat

BARNEGAT, NJ — Several fire companies came together to battle a house fire in Barnegat Tuesday morning, according to the Barnegat Volunteer Fire Company Station 11.

Firefighters received a report of a bathroom fire in the Mirage section of town at 7:25 a.m. on March 21, officials said. It was upgraded to a structure fire at 7:28 a.m.

As the chief and deputy chief were en route, they saw a smoke column from the development and heard police dispatch reporting visible fire and a potential resident trapped inside, upgrading the fire to a second alarm, officials said.

Barnegat and Stafford's deputy fire chiefs arrived and found a working fire with exposure concerns for neighboring houses. Along with Barnegat police, they made sure all occupants were out and evacuated neighbors, officials said.

All occupants were safely removed, officials said. No one was injured, including fire service personnel.

While Barnegat and Stafford fought the fire, Waretown Fire Company also assisted with overhaul and checking additional residents, while the Forked River Fire Department provided RIT (rapid intervention team) for the firefighters. Lanoka Harbor fire provided coverage for Barnegat.

The fire was extinguished and hotspots were overhauled after two hours, officials said.

It took another hour for fire crews to have the apparatus and equipment back in service for the next incident, officials said.

The Ocean County Fire Marshal's Office was called in to investigate the fire, and the scene was turned over to them.