Cats Die, Couple Escapes Flames In Late-Night Manchester House Fire: Police

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

Two people were jolted awake late Sunday night, Oct. 26, when a neighbor spotted their Manchester home engulfed in flames, authorities said.

The Manchester Township Police Department responded to 5 Darien Ct. in the Whiting section of town at approximately 10:20 p.m., where a home was fully engulfed in flames, Police Chief Antonio Ellis said. All occupants had made it out safely.

A neighbor across the cul-de-sac alerted the residents after spotting flames and banging on their windows, Ellis said. No injuries or smoke inhalation were reported.

Manchester Township Police

The residents told police they were asleep when fire alarms sounded, followed by a neighbor’s frantic knocking. Their two cats died in the fire, authorities said.

Multiple fire departments responded, including units from Whiting, Manchester, Ridgeway, New Egypt, Pinewald Pioneer, Bayville, Lakehurst, Forked River, and the McGuire-Dix Joint Base Fire Department, along with the U.S. Air Force Fire Department and the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office.

Emergency Medical Technicians from Manchester Township Division of Emergency Services and South Toms River EMS also assisted on scene.

An investigation by Patrolman Gainey and Detective Steffen of the Manchester Police Department and Zachary Sharp of the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office found the blaze to be accidental in nature due to an electrical malfunction, Ellis said.