Fire That Left Manchester Home Uninhabitable Ruled Accidental

MANCHESTER, NJ — A fire that left a Manchester Township home uninhabitable has been ruled accidental, Manchester police said.

The fire was reported just before 11 p.m. Friday at a home on Moccasin Drive in the Whiting section, Lt. Alfred Vega said.

The home was fully involved when police officers arrived, but there was no one in the home at the time; the homeowner was located nearby and was safe, he said.

Police began evacuating residents from surrounding homes as firefighters arrived to battle and extinguish the blaze, Vega said.

There were no injuries reported at the time, he said. The home was deemed uninhabitable by the Building Department, and the American Red Cross responded to assist.

The Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office and Detective Conklin of the Manchester Township Police Department Investigations Bureau investigated and determined the fire was accidental, caused by an electrical failure, Vega said.

The police department praised the collaboration by the communications divisions of Manchester Township and the Ocean County Sheriff's Office in quickly mobilizing the fire response, and thanked Manchester Township EMS and the following fire departments: Manchester Volunteer Fire Company, Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company, Whiting Volunteer Fire Company, Joint Base MDL Fire Department, Lakehurst Fire Department, Forked River Fire Company, and Pinewald Pioneer Fire Company.

"We would also like to thank the Pleasant Plains Fire Company for providing coverage for Manchester Township during this incident," they said.