New Jersey home charred after massive fire breaks out
A home in South Jersey is destroyed after police say a massive structure fire broke out Monday afternoon.
The fire happened at a home on the 200 block of Burning Tree Court in Mays Landing at around 1 p.m. The 911 call regarding the fire originally reported a house explosion. However, officials say this was a house fire, not an explosion.
The woman who lives inside the home told CBS News Philadelphia that, physically, she is OK, but has lost everything. She said she was outside when she heard a boom. A neighbor then came by to get her and ensure she was safely away from the house.
Residents in the area described the Mays Landing neighborhood as pretty quiet. Some neighbors said they heard a boom around 12:30 p.m. and then ran downstairs to see what was going on.
The fire quickly spread as multiple fire departments teamed together to extinguish the blaze.
"I heard a big bang and looked out the door, and there was a big puff of smoke, so I went down to see what was going on, and when I got to the corner, I saw the back of the house was on fire," said Russell Bruder, who lives nearby. "But I wanted to make sure she was OK first, and then I saw her across the street. But then it just got fully engulfed, and the whole place just went up. It was crazy."
Chopper 3 was over the scene Monday afternoon, where fire crews could be seen dousing the home with water.
The cause of the fire is still unclear.