Fire Destroys Montville Home, Cause Unknown

An early morning fire destroyed a Montville home on Tumbling Brook Drive Friday.

Montville Township police Capt. Ed Rosellini said the fire was reported around 4:30 a.m. by a neighbor, as the home was unoccupied at the time. At 10 a.m., dozens of firefighters were still on the scene where the structure of the home stood without a roof.

"The cause of the fire is still unknown," Rosellini said.

The home was for sale as the owners, a family of four with two adult children, according to a neighbor, were in the process of moving to a new house in Boonton Township.

Caroline Walsh, a next-door neighbor, said the roof of the home had collapsed after the house was fully engulfed in flames. Walsh was alerted about the fire by her neighbor, Melissa Riley, who said she heard loud popping sounds around 4 a.m. and thought someone was trying to break into the Walsh's home. Riley called Walsh to make sure her family was alright and her husband ran outside to see the home next to the Walsh's on fire.

"By the time we were out there, pretty much the whole back left of the house was in flames," Riley said.

Riley and her husband scrambled to make sure no one was at home during the fire and called police. Meanwhile, Walsh said she could see the bright flames from her second-floor window.

"When I got up and looked out through the window, the windows were bright orange," Walsh said.

Walsh compared the color to that of a Jack-o'-lantern and said she saw the fire from her window. She and her family members were advised to evacuate their own home. Once outside, she could see the smoke pouring from the home and particles blowing through the neighborhood.

"Embers were flying through the air," she said.

Walso said ash and embers seemed to be raining down just before the wet rain started in the morning.

"This is just so unfortunate," she said.

While the homeowners had vacated several weeks ago, according to Walsh, Walsh said much of their belongings were still in the home, including original artwork created by one of the owners.

In addition to the Towaco Volunteer Fire Department, Rosellini said the Montville and Pine Brook Volunteer Fire Departments and Montville Township First Aid Squad responded as well as Parsippany volunteers, the Kinnelon Volunteer Fire Co. and Lincoln Park Fire Department.