Families Trying To Pick Up The Pieces After Toms River Fire

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Newlyweds awaiting their first child. A couple building their lives together. A young woman whose side business helped her make ends meet. A couple planning for their wedding. A man who ran in to save his family's dog.

Those are just some of the stories emerging among the nearly 40 people who lost their homes Saturday in a fire that destroyed an apartment building at the Fairways at Bey Lea in Toms River.

The preliminary findings of the investigation are the fire was accidental, and is "believed to have originated from an outside 3rd-floor balcony of a unit in building 30," said Richard Foster, assistant chief inspector with the Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention.

"Improperly discarded smoking material cannot be eliminated as the cause of the fire," said Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. The investigation was conducted by the arson unit of the prosecutor's office, Toms River police detectives, the Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit.

Foster said the three-alarm fire in the building on Inverness Drive, which had 22 units, took about five hours for firefighters to contain it.

The building has a sprinkler system and at the time the complex was built, the NFPA 13-R system did not require any sprinkler heads within the attic space of the building, Foster said.

"I can confirm that one sprinkler head did active within the unit that was on fire," he said.

Two firefighters, one EMT, and one occupant sustained minor injuries; Billhimer said they were taken to the hospital for treatment.

"I’d like to thank all the emergency service personnel that responded to this structure fire," Billhimer said. "We had fire companies from all over Ocean County respond and assist in the suppression of this fire. My sincere thanks to all the first responders who worked so tirelessly under the most extreme heat conditions. I am extremely grateful that no one was seriously injured."

Firefighters also rescued pets, including two dogs belonging to one displaced family, and a cat that was captured in a photo hanging by its paws from a gutter of the building. "Thanks for saving this cat hanging from gutter," the photographer wrote.

Foster said he was told there were 13 dogs, six cats and a bird that lived with families, and all were accounted for and safe.

As a result of the extensive damage, the Toms River Building Department deemed the building unsafe, he said.

American Red Cross officials on Saturday initially tweeted that 25 people from 15 families were being assisted, but volunteers returned on Sunday to assist 12 more people from four families, said Sheri Ferreira, regional communications manager for the American Red Cross New Jersey Region.

"Not all families were on scene when our volunteers were assisting families," she said. "The families we assisted all received emergency financial assistance to help with things like temporary lodging, food, clothing and other immediate needs."

At least one family declined assistance and another has been out of town, she said.

Several GoFundMe campaigns have been created to help those who lost their belongings in the fire.

Kendall Whitmeyer and her husband JR, who lived on the second floor, lost all of their clothing and personal items, including furniture, babies clothing and more. "They are newlyweds and soon-to-be parents," her sister, Carissa, wrote.

Kasie Sullivan lived in a two-bedroom apartment with her best friend, and fiancé, and their two dogs. Firefighters rescued their two dogs but everything else was lost, and the insurance they had will only go so far, her family said. "Although Kasie has a great job and commutes to the Bronx, and she was making ends meet paying rent, insurances, student loans and commuting expenses, her means to replace everything she owned are limited," they wrote. "Kasie also has a small social media marketing business of her own, that she started in college. She used this business as income while she continued her education and now utilizes it to supplement her salary to make ends meet. Unfortunately, all her camera and computer equipment along with the irreplaceable data is gone forever."

Brittany and Raymond Jones were just married in March and lived at the Fairways with their pets. Brittany was able to save their pets but nothing more. "This was their first home together, already filled with memories," their friend Marianne Gresek wrote.

Janet and Frank lived in the building, too, their friend Michele Bettino wrote. "Thankfully her husband was able to run in and get their dog Mama out safely but they are left with only the clothes on their backs."

Casey and Eric escaped the fire, their friend Kyle Durso wrote. "Our best friends lost their home on July 15th and all of their belongings to a fire in their apartment building. They and their pets are safe and sound but need to rebuild," he wrote.

Josh Tafuri had just recently moved into his apartment at Fairways. He was away "on his first vacation in years to celebrate our sister Meghan’s wedding" when he got word about the fire, his sister, Julianna Tafuri, said. "His whole life and all his belongings are there. All he has was whatever he brought in his suitcase on vacation."

Nico and Zack and their two dogs, Harley and Lily, lived at the Fairways. Harley was the subject of a widespread search in Ocean County that spread rapidly on social media (she was found four hours later). "Their wedding is set for October and now they have the added stress of replacing all of their belongings and covering those costs" along with follow-up vet visits for Harley, said Brianna Barnes, sister of one of the men.

Brian Strohmetz, his girlfriend, Julie, and their rescue cat "made it out with nothing but their wallets, keys and the clothes they were wearing," friend Allison Goodwin wrote. "I would like to come together as a community and do what we can to lessen the burden as they begin to rebuild their life together."

Strohmetz and Nico Mercadante are teachers in the Toms River Regional Schools.

The joint investigation into the cause of the fire was conducted by the Toms River Fire Prevention, Toms River Police Department, and the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, Foster said.

All six Toms River fire companies responded to the three-alarm fire. The Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention said the size of the fire and extreme heat led to the call for mutual aid; fire companies from Forked River, Bayville, and Lakewood responded to the fire.

"Thank you to all the fire companies, EMS and law enforcement that responded to The Fairways at Bey Lea fire," the Pleasant Plains Fire Company wrote in a post on Facebook Sunday. "Our thoughts are with the families as they deal with this terrible tragedy. The weather was against us and so were the conditions of the fire. There were no serious injuries which we are all thankful for. Again, thank you to everyone who responded."

Note: This article has been updated with additional comment from the American Red Cross and a statement from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.