Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Sandy-Damaged Silverton Home Destroyed in Early Morning Fire

Home collapsed after catching fire in early morning hours

An early Sunday morning fire destroyed an unoccupied bayfront home in the Silverton section of Toms River that had been damaged by Superstorm Sandy, authorities said.

The fire at 643 Bayview Drive was reported at 1:45 a.m and led to the home's eventual collapse, according to Jim Mercready, Director of the Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention.

Silverton firefighters encountered a fully involved structural fire in the three-story house when they arrived on the call, Mercready said. Under the direction of Silverton Fire Company Chief Gary Tattersall, they extinguished the fire that had spread to the attic of the home next door, at 641 Bayview Drive, and also extinguished fire that had spread to a piling and deck system under construction at the adjoining property to the left of 643 Bayview Drive.

"The house suffered severe fire damage which led to a complete collapse," said Mercready, requiring Tattersall to request heavy equipment from the Toms River Public Works Department to help remove layers of debris so firefighters could fully extinguish hidden pockets of fire.

Firefighters remained on scene into the later hours of Sunday morning to monitor for flare-ups, said Mercready.

Inspector Dominick Roselli of the Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention as well as Investigators from the Toms River Police Department and Ocean County Prosecutor’s office will be investigating, Mercready said.

Mutual aid assistance was provided to the scene by the Pleasant Plains, East Dover, Island Heights and Toms River fire companies. No injuries were reported in the blaze.


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