On Friday night, at approximately 11:47 pm, the Manchester Township Police and Manchester Volunteer Fire Company were dispatched to a structure fire on Birmingham Avenue located in the Pine Lake Park section of the Township. Upon arrival, the home was found to be fully engulfed in flames at which time the sole resident of the house was found outside uninjured. The resident was able to exit the home prior to the arrival of emergency responders. Officers shut down the roadway and immediately began evacuating the residents located in the surrounding homes. As a result of the fire, a portion of Birmingham Avenue was without power for several hours.

Assisting the Manchester Volunteer Fire Company were members of the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company, Whiting Volunteer Fire Company, Toms River Volunteer Fire Company, and the Silverton Volunteer Fire Company. Two Firefighters were transported to Community Medical Center by Manchester Emergency Medical Services with non life threatening injuries and later released. The American Red Cross also responded and assisted the owner of the residence.

The fire is under investigation by the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office and Detective Emmons of the Manchester Township Police Department Detective Bureau. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.