Fire-Rescue News - Fire destroys Middle Township home

Posted: Thursday, November 17, 2011 12:35 pm | Updated: 6:17 pm, Thu Nov 17, 2011.

By MICHAEL MILLER Staff Writer pressofAtlanticCity.com

MIDDLE TOWNSHIP – Fire destroyed a two-story home Thursday that was for sale in the Dias Creek section of the township.

The fire was reported at 12:14 p.m. at a New River Road home owned by Joseph and Lisa McCluskey. Cape May Court House Volunteer Fire Chief Paul Hand said Joseph McCluskey was home when the fire started in his garage.

“He opened the garage door and the fire.....Continue Reading

took off,” Hand said. “Once that air gets in there, that fire will take off. It’s not even balloon construction. It’s amazing how fast it happened.”

McCluskey, who was not fully dressed at the time of the blaze, escaped without injury, Hand said. None of the more than 50 firefighters who responded was injured.

But the couple lost everything they owned, including a car that was burned beyond recognition in the garage.

The Southern Shore chapter of the American Red Cross provided vouchers for winter clothing. The couple is staying with friends in the area, a Red Cross spokeswoman said.

Firefighters from Cape May Court House, Goshen, Rio Grande, Stone Harbor and Green Creek responded with tanker trucks full of water to this rural neighborhood where there are no hydrants. They worked in a pouring rain to douse the blaze.

Last assessed for $340,900, the house was listed for sale for $255,000 by Rixey Realty. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Hand said it does not appear suspicious.

Contact Michael Miller: 609-463-6712

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