Blaze Destroys Townhouse in West A.C.; Firefighter Hurt

The fire was reported at about 4:30 p.m. in a townhouse on Empire Drive, said Wally Bakely, chief of the West Atlantic City Fire Company. Firefighters arrived moments later to see flames coming from the first story and heavy smoke coming from the building, and Bakely immediately called a second alarm....read more

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The owners were home at the time and got out safely on their own, Bakely said.

A Farmington firefighter was injured and taken to the hospital, Bakely said. His condition was not immediately available.

In addition to West Atlantic City, firefighters from Farmington, Cardiff, Bargaintown, Scullville and Pleasantville responded, Bakely said.

 "All the agencies cooperated incredibly," Bakely said. "Everybody's efforts were above and beyond."

The Black Horse Pike was closed in both directions while crews battled the fire, and traffic jammed up on the side streets around the scene.

Smoke poured out all the windows of the townhouse as firefighters battled frigid conditions along with the flames. Water used to quench the fire quickly froze on the street and sidewalk as temperatures hovered around the 20-degree mark.

"This is the first major house fire we've had here in a long time," said Deputy Mayor Jake Glassey, who lives in the neighborhood. "These guys responded real quickly."

"The flames were all the way out, it was horrible," said Joan Miller, who arrived on the scene with her firefighter father. "We came up the next block, and we couldn't see to drive" because of the thick smoke.

The Rev. Josef Wagenhofer, who has a home in the area, said he saw black smoke pouring out of the townhouse at the corner of Venice Avenue, and he and another neighbor called 911. Firefighters pumped a lot of water onto the flames, turning the smoke white, but it quickly went black again.

In addition to six fire companies, township police, the Public Works Department, Absecon Rescue, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, Atlantic City Electric, South Jersey Gas and New Jersey American Water responded, Bakely said. The auxiliaries from the Cardiff, Bargaintown and Scullville companies arrived to provide relief.

The residents of the townhouse are being housed by the American Red Cross, Bakely said. The adjacent home sustained some smoke damage, but none of the other units in the row of homes was affected.

The Black Horse Pike reopened at about 6:45 p.m., and firefighters cleared the scene at about 7:30 p.m., Bakely said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by township fire inspector Don Stauffer and by township police, Bakely said.

E-mail Elaine Rose: ERose@pressofac.com