Nurse, Police Officer, Infant Barely Escaped House Fire In Howell

HOWELL, NJ — Jessie and Sean Twerdak were standing in the kitchen of their Dutch Valley Road home on Saturday talking when they saw the smoke.

Jessie, a nurse at Penn Medicine Princeton, and their 10-month-old daughter, Abigail, had just returned from running errands. Sean, a police officer in Rahway, had just gotten home from work, a family friend told Patch, with the family's permission.

Sean grabbed the fire extinguisher and ran to try to put it out, the friend said. Jessie grabbed Abigail and then headed downstairs to get the family's golden retriever, Charlie, he said.

That's when she saw how bad the fire was, the friend said.

"She could see out her back sliding glass doors flames rolling under her deck, pushing toward her home," the friend said.

Jessie ran out the front of the house with Abigail and Charlie and found Sean trying to call 911.

"He couldn't get through because 911 was jammed," the friend said. That's because neighbors — who had seen the fire and were outside yelling for the Twerdaks to evacuate — were calling to report the fire, the friend said.

Police and firefighters from all of Howell's fire companies responded but the fire consumed the home in a matter of minutes, spreading from the deck to the inside of the house and into the two-car garage, sending flames out of the front and back, he said.

Video shared by Garden State News Network showed the smoke and flames at the home.

The flames eventually collapsed the roof and destroyed all of their belongings, the family friend said.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation on Monday, by the Howell Township Fire Bureau, and Monmouth County Fire Marshal.

"This family has always been there to help others—both in their professional roles and as caring neighbors," the Rahway PBA said on a GoFundMe campaign it created to help the family with the immediate costs, including housing, food and essentials for Abigail and Charlie. It had raised nearly $100,000 by Monday afternoon.

"The emotional and financial toll of such a tragedy is overwhelming, especially with a baby to care for, but together, we can help ease their burden and show them that their community stands behind them," the PBA said.

Those who wish to donate to the GoFundMe can do so online.