Fire Cause 'Not Suspicious' At Greenbriar Woodlands Home In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A fire that severely damaged a home in Greenbriar Woodlands remained under investigation on Monday, authorities said.

The fire at a home on South Chanticleer Court, which was reported about 12:10 p.m., was not believed to be suspicious, said Matthew Janora, chief inspector with the Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention.

There were no injuries in the fire, and the homeowner was not home at the time, said Jillian Messina, media relations specialist for the Toms River Police Department.

Janora said all six Toms River fire companies responded to the fire, led by the Pleasant Plains Fire Company. They received assistance from "many mutual aid partners," he said, and extinguished the fire promptly and successfully.

"I want to commend the rapid and coordinated response of our firefighters, along with the valuable support provided by the other responding fire companies from the local area," Janora said. "Their collective efforts played am essential role in containing the fire and preventing further spread to neighboring properties."

Because the home was unoccupied, "the fire department's immediate focus was to ensure the safety of the community and control the situation as quickly as possible," he said. "I would like to thank Toms River Police Department, EMS and the other emergency service agencies for the support they provided that the scene."

The fire is being investigated by Inspector Oeskovic and Lead Inspector Roselli.

Video published by News12 New Jersey showed smoke billowing from the home, and photos taken by a pilot and published by the Lakewood Scoop showed thick, dark smoke with lots of flames beneath the smoke.

The smoke was intense enough that local weather radar picked it up, a tweet by Scott Derek said.

Firefighters remained on the scene while the investigation was being conducted, Janora said.