Monmouth fire renders house uninhabitable, under investigation
A Sunday afternoon blaze that left residents of a house in Monmouth's Ocean Township without a roof over their heads is being investigated by township authorities.
Investigators are tracing the cause of the fire that, according to police, was confined to a second-story bedroom of the single-family home on Seward Drive. No one was inside, and no one was injujried, but police said that the damage rendered it uninhabitable.
The fire was reported at about 12:11 PM on January 15. Officers who were first on scene reported smoke billowing from the house.
Officers Michael DeSimone and Daniel Weber forced open the front entrance and searched for occupants until the smoke density drove them back outside.
All occupants were later accounted for, police said. Firefighters from the Wannamassa, Oakhurst and Tinton Falls Fire Departments knocked back the flames.
Ocean Township District 2 Fire Marshal Dean Schoch and Monmouth County fire officials continue the investigation.