RED BANK: FIRE RIPS THROUGH TWO FAMILY HOME

Firefighters battle a fire on the roof of a two-family home at 39 Oakland Street in Red Bank. (Photos by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)

By BRIAN DONOHUE

Two families were displaced when fire tore through a two-family home at 39 Oakland Street Thursday morning. The blaze caused significant damage to the side-by-side duplex across the street from the Red Bank Charter School and left roughly ten people scrambling for a place to live as the holiday season begins.

Firefighters and Red Bank police officers rescued one elderly resident from the home on the building’s west side, Red Bank Fire Chief Frank Woods said. The remainder of the residents escaped uninjured and several told redbankgreen they had already left for work when the blaze erupted shortly before 9 am.

Several firefighters were treated by medical crews on the scene for symptoms of heat exhaustion and dehydration, Woods said.

Firefighters also rescued one resident’s beloved pet mouse, named Chris Brown, delivering the wet but healthy critter to a grateful owner whose distress over his plight was compounding the trauma of losing her home.

39 Oakland Street Red Bank fire 11242025

A firefighter emerges from the burning house at 39 Oakland Street with an aquarium home to a resident’s pet mouse.

Firefighters on the scene at 39 Oakland Street in Red Bank Monday morning.

Woods said the fire had spread across the roof line of both sides of the house by the time firefighters arrived. The fire was brought under control and completely extinguished by about 12:30 pm

“As for all the mutual aid companies, I can’t thank them enough,” Woods said of the departments that assisted the RBFD. They included cews from River Plaza, Belford, Little Silver, Fair Haven, Rumson, Sea Bright and Tinton Falls.

One resident of the home told redbankgreen he had just gone to sleep after arriving home on an overnight flight. His father was waiting outside for a ride when he looked back at the house and heard and smelled the fire. He went inside and woke his son. “I just put on my shoes and pants and grabbed my phone and ran,” the son said.

His sister, Liana Lopez, rushed home from work at the YMCA, urgently worried about the safety of her pet.

With firefighters still pouring water on the blaze, a firefighter emerged carrying an aquarium with a soaked and shivering Chris Brown inside. A few hours later, Woods said Monmouth Street pet shop Fins and Feathers had already donated a new cage and other supplies to the family.

Volunteers with the American Red Cross were on the scene in the early afternoon, assisting residents as they retrieved what belongings they could in plastic bags.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Woods said the scramble for manpower underscored the need for more volunteer firefighters in Red Bank and the entire state.

“We’re limited,” Woods said. “That’s why we have to call in so many towns. I feel that the residents of New Jersey don’t realize that we need help, or we’re going to be a dying breed.”

redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.