Pennsauken Township fire sends 5 people to hospital: officials
PENNSAUKEN, N.J. (CBS) -- Five people are hospitalized after an early morning fire tore through a home in Pennsauken Township. The blaze happened Monday on the 3000 block of Finlaw Avenue.
"This neighbor and this neighbor, her son came over with a bat to try to break the door down or something," neighbor Shane Holliman said. "Because it took them like almost 10 minutes to get that door down."
Neighbors rushed in to help as a home in Pennsauken went up in flames just after 5 Monday morning.
Ken Powell lives around the corner from the home on Finlaw Avenue, but he could see the fire from his front porch.
"Kept on hearing a car alarm," Powell said. "On, off, on, off. Threw some shoes on, ran over, heard some screams."
Pennsauken Fire Department Capt. Daniel Kerr said one person jumped from the second floor before firefighters arrived.
"We were able to rescue one victim from the dwelling," Kerr said.
All five people in the home at the time were taken to the hospital, with officials listing one in critical condition.
Both neighbors and fire crews recall the size of the fire.
"The flames were so hot," Powell said. "It was too intense."
"Flames as high as the house," Holliman said.
"There was a lot of fire conditions, heavy fire conditions when we first got here," Kerr said. "We absolutely had our hands full."
Crews were able to get the fire under control, but officials say a family pet was killed.
Much of the home has been reduced to ashes. Even a car parked in the driveway took the brunt of the flames.
"We thought it was propane tanks," Powell said, "but it was actually the tires exploding."
The morning fire came as a shock to a normally quiet neighborhood.
"I've been here since '65, been here all my life," Powell said. "This is the most that's ever happened."
Fire crews did return to the home later in the morning to put out some hot spots. So far, they have not released the cause of the fire, saying it is still under investigation.