Woman, Dog Escape Fire: House Unlivable After Collapse In Raritan

RARITAN, NJ — A woman and her dog were able to escape a fire at their home early Friday morning. However, they are now homeless after the fire caused a partial collapse.

On Friday at 5:45 a.m., Raritan Firefighters went to the home on Canal Street, near Raritan's Veteran's Park and Basilone statue, and found smoke coming from the second floor, said Raritan Deputy Fire Chief Thomas DeSantis.

The fire was found to be between the ceiling of the second floor and the attic and ending up spreading into the attic, said DeSantis.

"There were some 'interior complications' that made it very difficult to fight the fire. Combined with the temperature outside upgraded the fire to a second alarm, said DeSantis.

It took firefighters almost three hours to get the fire under control due to the issues inside the home.

"It was a deep-seated fire in the second floor and attic and it wasn't safe to send firefighters into the building," said DeSantis. "It was difficult getting water into the deep-seated pockets of fire."

One woman and dog were able to escape before firefighters arrived. Two firefighters had minor injuries and were treated on the scene, said DeSantis.

The home is inhabitable as the fire burned the rafters and caused a partial collapse of the second floor onto the first and a chimney collapsed into the attic, said DeSantis.

The fire is currently under investigation by the Raritan Bureau of Fire Prevention.

This is the second house fire reported in Raritan this week. On Tuesday a fire burned at a home on First Avenue killing a dog. Read More: 2 People Escape, Dog Dies In Raritan House Fire

The Raritan Borough Fire Department is entirely volunteer-run. If interested in joining the department visit raritanfire.com or call 908-707-8540.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.

Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here. Don't miss local and statewide announcements. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.