Woman Rescued, Cat Revived At Toms River Apartment Fire: Official

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Two South Toms River men are being credited with saving the life of a woman whose Washington Street apartment caught fire last week. In addition, the woman's cat was revived by firefighters who performed CPR on the animal, authorities said.

Lundyn Corbin, 25, and Javier Vargas, 19, of both South Toms River, told Officer Austin Pelkathey were walking through the courtyard at the Harbor Front Condos complex about 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday after they saw black smoke and flames coming from the apartment. The two rushed into the building and started banging on apartment doors and telling people to get out of the building, said Kevin Esposito, chief fire inspector for the Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention.

As Corbin and Vargas went upstairs, they found a woman standing in the doorway, confused and covered in black soot. They guided her out of the apartment to the front stoop and called 9-1-1, Esposito said.

Firefighters who responded learned the woman had a pet cat and the cat was still inside. When firefighters found the cat, it was not breathing, so they quickly administered CPR on the cat, ultimately saving its life, he said.

Fire crews from Station 25 Toms River Fire Company 1, Station 26 Toms River Fire Company 2, Station 28 East Dover Fire Company, Station 29 Silverton Fire Company, Station 30 Pleasant Plains Fire Company, and Station 53 Island Heights responded to fight the fire.

Fire investigator Charles Bauer of the Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention determined the fire was accidental, caused by unattended cooking. The woman was taken to Monmouth Medical Center for possible smoke inhalation. No other injuries were reported, Esposito sai.

Bauer deemed the apartment uninhabitable.

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