Fire Leaves 2 Toms River Families, Pet Cats Homeless

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A fire severely damaged a home on Bergen Avenue in Toms River on Saturday afternoon, leaving two families without a home, authorities and friends said.

Firefighters were called to the two-story home just after 2 p.m. and found flames coming from the second floor, said Matthew Janora, chief inspector for the Toms River Fire Prevention Bureau.

The family was home at the time but was able to escape safely. They had two cats that were found alive after the fire was extinguished, one on the second floor and one on the first floor. "Both appeared OK and in good health," Janora said. They were being taken to a vet for evaluation as a precaution.

The fire was quickly brought under control and fire crews remained at the home for 1.5 hours, he said, but the home sustained heavy smoke, heat, and fire damage to both floors and was deemed unsafe by the Toms River Township Building Department, he said.

There are two GoFundMe campaigns set up to help the two mothers.

One GoFundMe campaign had raised more than $6,500 as of Monday morning, thanks in part to efforts of the Exit 82 Scanner News and the Exit 80 Scanner News pagea, which set up an impromptu drop-off site on Sunday.

Jenn Mosson, who created the campaign to help her best friend and her two children, said the family lost everything — clothing, shoes, food, bedding, food. Donations to the GoFundMe campaign are welcomed by anyone wishing to help.

The second GoFundMe campaign was set up by Melissa Kulyeshie on behalf of her sister, who has a 3-month-old baby.

"She’s a single mom and has worked so hard to make a life for herself," Kulyeshie wrote. "She needs to start from scratch for herself and her son," and she has other children whose belongings were in the home as well. That GoFundme had raised just shy of $1,900 by Monday afternoon.

Paul Hulse at Just Believe shared information on how she can be helped in a Facebook post.

None of the five people were injured but Janora said one firefighter suffered a minor injury as a result of a fall at the fire scene. He was taken to the hospital for evaluation, Janora said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by Inspector Britton of the Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention and the Toms River Police Department.

The East Dover Fire Company No. 4, Toms River Fire Company No. 2, and Island Heights Fire Department responded, and were joined by crews from Toms River Fire Company No. 1, Silverton Fire Department and Pleasant Plains Fire Department. A crew from Ocean Beach Fire Company No. 3 was on standby at the East Dover Fire House, Janora said.