Crime & Safety

Neighbors Felt Effects Of Villanova Drive Fire

No injuries reported as several departments responded to fire

Neighbors said they felt the effects of a fire that burned inside a Villanova Drive home earlier this week.

Carl Yaeger, a resident of Villanova Drive who called 911, said he could smell the smoke as soon as he left his house.

"I just left my house, smelled the smoke, drove down here, saw the smoke coming out of the house and called 911," he said. "Right now we have no idea what's going on.

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Yaeger said he and his family have lived on the street for 17 years and had never seen anything like what he experienced on Tuesday morning. "I smelled the smoke and then I looked both ways down the street and saw it coming from this way so I drove down here."

The 22-year-old said that, when he arrived at the scene, there was smoke coming from "multiple windows," and added that there was "definitely a lot of smoke."

Find out what's happening in Howellwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The fire, on the otherwise quiet street near the Freehold border, brought departments from all over the area to the scene. Firefighters from as far away as Naval Weapons Station Earle responded, as did some of the Howell departments and neighboring Freehold. 

The fire is believed to have begun in the basement and spread to upper floors. According to the Howell Police Department, Patrolman Rob Hill was the first officer on the scene where "the home was fully engulfed with smoke pouring out of the roof rafters."

During the battle with the blaze, the first floor collapsed and the house itself "suffered extensive damage and is considered a total loss," according to the police report. 

All told there were 14 agencies involved in the fire. The include, the Howell Police Department, the Howell Police EMS, as well as the Howell Township Fire Bureau. Fire companies responding included the Adelphia Fire Company, the Farmingdale Fire Company and the Freewood Acres Fire Company.

Mutual aid was also supplied by the Freehold Boro Fire Company, the Freehold Independent Fire Company and the representatives from Earle Naval Weapons Fire Company.

In addition to the police and fire representatives, local first aid squads also reported to the scene.  They included the Howell First Aid, the Farmingdale-Howell First Aid and the Ramtown First Aid Squads. The Monmouth County Fire Marshall's Office also responded.


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