Heavy Winds Partly To Blame In Spread Of Fire That Left Mullica Hill Home Engulfed In Flames
MULLICA HILL, N.J. (CBS) -- Heavy winds are partly to blame in the spread of a house fire in Gloucester County. Officials say the house was completely engulfed when firefighters responded to a fire on the 100 block of Harrisonville Road in Mullica Hill, just before 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
Fire officials say heavy winds caused the blaze to spread extremely fast, engulfing the home and burning it to the ground.
The assistant fire chief says this was a two-alarm blaze, but the house is a complete loss.
The family was inside when the fire began and soon after, the house was fully engulfed, spreading through the entire home and even singeing the neighbor's home and car in the driveway.
One witness says the wind was fierce and blowing horizontally.
Everyone has been accounted for. About 10 departments throughout Gloucester County responded to the fire.
The seven-dozen firefighters on scene did all they could but could not salvage the home.
"The first units were here within minutes of the call, of the 911 call," Harrison Township Fire District Assistant Chief Ken Powell said. "As you can see, we did not stop the fire from spreading to the neighbor's home. But in this situation out here, our closest hydrant is a couple thousand feet away, so out here we rely on tender trucks to get water for us. We did have a hydrant established, but unfortunately, the wind drove the fire beyond control."
There are no reported injuries from the fire.
But high winds continue to gust around South Jersey with scattered reports of limbs down. Atlantic City Electric says about 6,000 customers are already without power.
