20 People Illegally Living In Long Branch Home When Fire Broke Out; Had To Evacuate From Roof

LONG BRANCH, NJ — A three-alarm fire badly damaged a home on North 5th Avenue in Long Branch Monday night, and the flames grew so big that both houses on either side were also damaged.

Even cars parked in the street suffered heat damage, said Long Branch business administrator Charles Shirley, who is currently also the city's acting public safety director.

The first 911 call of the fire came in at 3:24 a.m. Tuesday.

The home is located on the 100 block of North 5th Avenue, and it is a legal two-family home. The home has a certificate of occupancy of a maximum of six people (three in each apartment) however, when firefighters got there, they found a total of 20 people had been illegally living inside the home, including children, said the town official.

Some residents were trapped inside the home when the fire broke out, and a neighbor had to put an extension ladder onto the roof to help them escape, said Shirley. Two residents, a pregnant woman and a man reporting breathing difficulty, had to be taken to Monmouth Medical Center, although neither is thought to be seriously injured, he said.

"When firefighters got there, the home was fully engulfed. The fire grew to three-alarm status and damaged the buildings on either side," he said. "Also, several several cars parked in the street and nearby driveways suffered heat damage."

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the county fire marshal.

"The Long Branch Fire Marshal and Long Branch Police will be following up with the building owner on the overcrowding," said Shirley.

Long Branch firefighters did not clear the scene until 8:53 Tuesday morning.