Neighbors Save Bridgewater Family, Home From Chimney Fire

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — It was a chance encounter and one that saved a Bridgewater family and their home from being destroyed in a fire on Wednesday night.

At around 8:30 p.m. Hannah and Steve Scansaroli were driving home from church with their three daughters in the car on Washington Valley Road near Crim Road when they saw flames coming from a chimney.

"I was staring at the flames looking at it and trying to figure out what it was," Steve Scansaroli said. "It wasn't until I passed the house that it hit me. 'Oh my God! The house is on fire!'"

He immediately slammed on the brakes in the middle of Washington Valley Road and put his car in reverse. He backed up right there and raced into the driveway.

When Scansaroli ran out of the car he could see a man sitting in the living room in his pajamas with the fireplace on.

Scansaroli rushed up to the front door and started yelling. The man who was caught off guard yelled back, "What do you want!"

Scansaroli frantically kept yelling, "Your house is on fire!"

"Finally he answered the door and I told him, 'Your house is on fire!' Scansaroli said.

"My kids are upstairs," the homeowner yelled.

The homeowner then grabbed the fire extinguisher and sprayed the fire in the fireplace. He also opened the windows. When the windows opened Scansaroli said the fire at the top of the chimney became very intense, hitting the roof and siding.

In the meantime Hannah Scansaroli called 911 and sirens could be heard approaching.

Just as the first volunteer Martinsville Volunteer firefighter arrived in his plain clothes, Scansaroli and his family left.

The Martinsville Volunteer Fire Department was able to put out the fire and save the home. The cause was due to a build up of creosote and other combustibles, said Bill Rose, spokesman for the department.

There were no injuries to the family or firefighters.

Scansaroli is a contractor with a company Premier Equestrian and Fine Home Builders so he is used to looking at homes. But this caught him off guard.

"You don't picture yourself doing justice but I could see the amount of flames coming out of the chimney and had to do something," Scansaroli said. "I just had to help this good family, they had young kids too. I am just glad everyone was safe."

After the fire Katarzyna Fernandez created a post in a Bridgewater Facebook forum in hopes of finding the Good Samaritans.

"Looking for a wonderful couple who saved my family and our home!" said Fernandez. "We were in shock, trying to get the kids out and putting the fire down, we didn't get to say thank you."

The Scansaroli and Fernandez families were reunited. It turns out Scansaroli, who has lived in Martinsville for the past 30 years, is neighbors with the Fernandez family as his family lives on Crim Road.

"I'm really happy we stopped this and could help somebody," Scansaroli said. "You never want to see a family get hurt or lose belongings or their home."

A thank you was also given to the Martinsville Volunteer Fire Department for their help.

"Big thanks to MVFD fire department and local police to show up so quickly. I was impressed with the response time and nice treatment.We consider ourselves very lucky," Fernandez said.

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