Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Fire at Cattus Island Boulevard Home Deemed Accidental

No residents home at time of the blaze; pets rescued by authorities

A Wednesday morning blaze that heavily damaged a Cattus Island Boulevard home has been determined to be accidental, fire officials said. 

No one was inside the two story 1167 Cattus Island Blvd. home when the fire broke out at about 11:20 a.m, police said. Multiple fire companies responded to the fire, which appears to have caused the most damage to the home's second floor and attic.

"The cause of the fire has been determined to be accidental and attributed to a malfunction of energized electrical equipment in the kitchen of the structure," said James Mercready, director of the Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention. 

Find out what's happening in Toms Riverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"The structure was declared to be unsafe for occupancy as the result of the fire, and will need to be demolished or have extensive repairs made before it can be reoccupied," Mercready said.

The family's three cats and two dogs were all accounted for and suffered smoke inhalation injuries, according to police.

Find out what's happening in Toms Riverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Photos submitted to Patch by a reader show that heavy smoke poured from the home as flames neared the roof.

Inspectors John Novak, Kevin Esposito and Stephen Hayes investigated the fire Wednesday afternoon, Mercready said.

Responding were the fire companies from Toms River, Pleasant Plains, Silverton, East Dover and Island Heights.

This story will be updated with more information as it becomes available.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.