80 Students, Staff Fled Fire At School In Ocean County, Reports Say

LAKEWOOD, NJ — More than 80 people had to flee from a school in Lakewood on Friday when a fire broke out in the building, reports say.

The fire in the former Piner Elementary School was reported about 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 3, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.

While the school is no longer in use by the Lakewood School District, which had rented the building from Holy Family Roman Catholic Church, the building was being used by the Polish Supplementary School, News 12 New Jersey reported.

Principal Roksana Luniewska said about 80 people were inside and eating a meal when they smelled smoke and had to evacuate, that report said. There were no injuries, she told News 12.

The school has been providing Polish language and history classes on Fridays at the building for more than 20 years, NJ.com reported.

The Lakewood School District stopped using the building at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year, when it consolidated to three elementary schools.

Ramtown Fire Company from Howell, which assisted in fighting the blaze, said the fire caused the ceiling to collapse at the back of the building. Crews were at the fire scene for about five hours, the company said in a Facebook post.

Footage of the fire published on YouTube by Jersey Shore Fire Response shows flames shooting out of the roof of the building.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, the prosecutor's office said Friday.