200-Year-Old Home Catches Fire in Middletown

Middletown, NJ - A 200-year-old home caught fire Friday night in the Navesink section of the township, fire officials said. The colonial-style home is on Hillside Avenue near Portland Road, near the Beacon Hill Country Club in Navesink.

The fire started in the chimney of the house at 8:10 p.m. Friday, Middletown Township Fire Department Public Information Officer Dennis Fowler said.

When firefighters got there, there was heavy smoke pouring out of the two-story home. Complicating the incident, the house is set back approximately 300 feet uphill from Hillside Avenue.

Firefighters pulled the plaster walls down from the first and second stories to make sure the fire didn’t extend into the attic, and then used Thermal Imaging Cameras to look for fire behind the walls.

The fire was under control at 8:35 p.m., and the last units cleared the scene by 9:49 p.m. The occupants, however, will not be allowed back inside until the home is deemed safe for rehabilitation, Fowler said.

Approximately 60 firefighters from five stations responded, including Navesink, Brevent Park and Leonardo, Community, Belford Engine and Belford Independent companies. The fire is being investigated by the Middletown Township Fire Prevention office.

Photos provided by Dennis Fowler/Middletown Township Fire Department Public Information Officer