Middletown Homeowner Suffers Burns Trying To Put Out Fire

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — A Middletown homeowner suffered second-degree burns on his hands after he tried to put out a fire that started in a laundry basket Saturday morning; however, that same man was also thanked by firefighters because he remembered to close the door to where the fire started, said the Middletown Fire Department.

Closing that door was a vital step to keep it from spreading, say Middletown firefighters.

"With crippling heat, an overwhelming burning sensation to his hands and choking smoke, this homeowner made a very smart decision, one that most definitely slowed the spread of fire and saved his home," said Middletown Fire Chief Bernard Chenoweth and Fire Marshal Buddy Skelly in a joint statement. "That decision was to close the door to the bathroom, after fire conditions became too overwhelming."

In fact, when he was later interviewed in the hospital by fire investigators, the homeowner said he credited this public safety announcement — published only a week earlier — by the Middletown Fire Department, warning people how to avoid becoming fire victims after two fatal fires in both Philadelphia and New York City, fires that combined resulted in the deaths of 17 children and 14 adults.

That public safety notice stressed the importance of closing the door to the room where the fire originates, as that significantly reduces a fire's oxygen source.

The fire broke out at 6:30 a.m. Saturday at a home on Heather Lane in the New Monmouth section of Middletown.

The homeowner said the fire started in a laundry basket in a second-floor bathroom of his home and he first tried to put it out himself. However, he was unable to and "things rapidly escalated prior to the arrival of the fire department," according to the press release.

When the first arriving firefighters got there, the man met them at the front door with "significant" burns on his hands.

"Once they entered the structure they quickly realized the fire was still burning in the bathroom, but was held in check by one simple act: Closing the door, which reduced the spread of smoke and flames," said the Middletown Fire Department.

"Suffering a fire in your home is a traumatic experience. That experience can trigger 'a fight or flight' instinct that at times might cause people to make a poor decision," said Fire Marshall Skelly. "Closing a door reduces the spread of smoke and flame; provides valuable time for occupants to escape and gives firefighters ample time during early suppression operations for a successful outcome."

There were no firefighter injuries and firefighters were able to declare the fire under control within 15 minutes. The homeowner was taken by Leonardo First Aid Squad to Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank.

The home sustained smoke and soot damage to the upper floor but the fire itself never got beyond the bathroom — all thanks to that man closing the door, said Skelly.

Approximately 20 firefighters from two companies of the Middletown Township Fire Department
responded to the call, Old Village Sta. 11, Port Monmouth Sta. 6 and the MTFD Safety Unit.

Prior public safety notice: Middletown Fire Dept. Gives These Important Fire Safety Tips (Jan. 11)

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