Middlesex County On Route 1 Fire Kills Dog, Displaces Six

A Route 1 house fire Friday evening left a Middlesex County home uninhabitable, killed a dog and displaced six residents, police said.

A passing motorist saw flames coming from the second floor of the Route 1 home at 5:40 p.m. in South Brunswick and called 911. The two family home at 4014 Route 1 had flames coming out the top floor when firefighters and officers arrived. All the occupants had made it out safely, police said.

All three South Brunswick fire companies - Monmouth Junction, Kendall Park, Kingston- along with North Brunswick Fire Company #2 battled the fire. It took 45 firefighters 20 minutes to bring the blaze under control, police said.

Monmouth Junction Fire Chief Scott Smith said, “We were able to get bring the fire under control quickly but there was extensive overhaul that required us to be on scene till almost 10:30pm.”

The second floor resident’s family dog died in the fire. All of the residents were able to stay with friends or family. The South Brunswick Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.

South Brunswick Police had to limit traffic to one lane getting by on Route 1 north at the fire scene. There was a two mile backup on Route 1 during the fire.