'We had to fight it by hand': Three-alarm blaze destroys 19th-century Spring Lake home

SPRING LAKE − A fire destroyed a borough home dating back to the late 19th century, sending one firefighter to a local hospital, an official said.

No one else was injured.

The three-alarm fire at 419 Morris Ave. was reported shortly before 2 a.m., an official said. The fire originated in a second-floor bedroom, but the cause had not yet been determined, said Spring Lake Fire Department Chief Ed Hale.

The Monmouth County Fire Marshall's Office collected evidence before the demolition began. Fighting the blaze were some 50 firefighters from the borough and nine Shore towns.

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The response to the fire rose to three alarms because the power lines interwoven with the trees on that side of the street prevented firefighters from using apparatus, Hale said.

"We had to fight it by hand," Hale said.

When firefighters arrived they saw smoke billowing from the eves of the two-story, wood-frame stucco home, and then flames roaring from the roof, Hale said.

The older homeowner and her son managed to escape unharmed, he said.

During the operation, debris fell on the head of the one firefighter from Wall, whose name not released and who was taken to Jersey Shore University Hospital in Neptune. The firefighter was expected to be released quickly, Hale said.

The outdated "balloon" construction of the home — a lack of fire-stops between the floors in a method that used long studs that ran from the foundation to the rafters — contributed to the severity of the blaze, Hale said. The building also had old wiring, he said.

The home's plaster and lathe walls and ceilings made extinguishing the blaze difficult, he said.

"It was very labor intensive," he said.

The firefighters managed to keep the fire from spreading to other homes.

The fire was declared under control about 4 a.m., he said. Crews were still on the scene until 9:30 a.m.

"It was a complete loss," said Hale, also a borough councilman, adding that a building official condemned the home and the borough began demolishing it Saturday morning.

The decision was made after one of the side walls showed signs of collapsing, which could have impacted a neighboring home, he said.

Assisting Spring Lake were firefighters from Asbury Park, Avon, Belmar, Brielle, Manasquan, Point Pleasant, Sea Girt, Spring Lake Heights and Wall.

Ken Serrano covers breaking news, crime and investigations. Reach him at 732-643-4029 or at kserrano@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: 'We had to fight it by hand': Three-alarm blaze destroys 19th-century Spring Lake home