Fire Destroys Cliffwood Beach Home Sunday Night

Fire ripped through the second-story bedroom of a Cliffwood Beach home Sunday night, only to rekindle and spread through the second floor of the house.

According to Cliffwood Vol. Fire Co. Chief Joe Raymond, a fire on Sherwood Drive was reported to the department at about 9 p.m. on Nov. 4. Upon arrival, the fire department found a fire in a bedroom at the front of the house.

The fire department was able to contain the fire to the bedroom and extinguish it. They used a thermal camera to check the structure for any remaining hot spots. According to Raymond, none were identified and no smoke was seen.

"We were redispatched about 45 minutes later for a rekindling," he said.

At about 10:30 p.m., the fire department returned to the seen to discover that fire had spread.

"The bulk of the damage was sustained to the front of the second floor, but the whole house sustained water damage," he said.

A portion of the roof collapsed as well as one of two chimneys on the home, Raymond said.

Aberdeen Dist. No. 1, Keyport, Laurence Harbor and Matawan fire departments responded as mutual aid. The South Aberdeen EMS and a unit from Keyport were also on the scene. The Hazlet Fire Department stood by at the firehouse in case of a second emergency in the township.

The Monmouth County Fire Marshall and the Aberdeen Detective Bureau also responded to the fire. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time but remains under investigation.