Pet Killed In Middletown House Fire Sunday Night

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — A family pet died in a house fire in the Chapel Hill section of Middletown Sunday night, according to the Middletown fire department. The house was also destroyed by the fire and is uninhabitable.

The fire broke out at 9:22 p.m. at a one-story home on the 200 block of Chapel Hill Road. The home's sole resident was able to get out, but the pet was trapped in the home, said Dennis Fowler, a spokesman for the fire department.

The pet has been identified as a dog, according to this GoFundMe page created for the property owners: https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u... Fowler said he had no further details about how the dog died.

It was neighbors who first called 911 to report the fire, and when firefighters got there, they found flames shooting out the windows of the one-story ranch home set on a rural lot. The car in the driveway also caught on fire and was destroyed.

The home's sole occupant had evacuated, according to Middletown Fire Chief John Friedman and First Assistant Chief John Waltz. But search and rescue teams found the dead body of the family pet inside, unable to escape from the fire.

What caused the fire is being investigated by the Middletown Township Fire Marshal’s office.

Additional companies had to be called for back-up, and firefighters were able to get water from the nearest fire hydrant, about one thousand feet away.

The fire was called under control by Chief John Friedman at 10:15 p.m. All units were cleared from the scene at 11:27 p.m.

Approximately 56 members from four companies of the Middletown Township Fire Department responded to the call from Brevent Park, Community, Middletown Number 1, River Plaza Hose Companies. The MTFD Air Unit and the Safety Unit responded.

No firefighter injuries were reported.

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