Fire Destroys Manchester Home, Kills Family's Frogs, Iguana

MANCHESTER, NJ — A kitchen fire destroyed a Ridgeway Road home on Friday morning in Manchester, killing the family's pet frogs and iguana and injuring their cat, Manchester police said.

The fire at 3628 Ridgeway Road was reported at 9:33 a.m., Lt. Vincent Manco said. When police arrived they learned the family was not in the house but several pets were inside.

Once the fire was extinguished, firefighters found two frogs and an iguana in the house had died in the fire. The family's cat and two turtles were rescued, Manco said, and firefighters from Joint Base Fire Department Station 67 administered oxygen to the cat, which was taken to a veterinarian for treatment by the owner.

There were no injuries to any humans at the scene, Manco said.

Firefighters from the Manchester, Ridgeway, Whiting, Lakehurst, and Toms River fire departments and Joint Base Fire Department Station 67 responded and extinguished the fire.

The fire has been ruled accidental, Manco said; investigators were unable to rule out the failure of electronically charged cooking appliances in the kitchen.

The Manchester Township Building Inspector determined the house is uninhabitable and the residents were relocated with family.

The fire is being investigated by the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, and Manchester Police Detective Adam Emmons.

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