The house was fully engaged when police arrived around 10:25 p.m. (Photo above courtesy of Matt Daiter; below, courtesy of Sea Bright Fire Department. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Fire swept through a vacant one-story house under reconstruction in Rumson Wednesday night.
“It was pretty much a ‘surround-and-drown,'” fire Chief Kevin McCarthy tells redbankgreen. “The house is a total loss.”
The fire was reported at 10:23 p.m., McCarthy said, and police arrived to find the house “already had fire through the roof.”
Volunteer firefighters from Rumson’s two companies, as well as Sea Bright, Fair Haven and Monmouth Beach responded. McCarthy said the blaze was brought under control shortly after 11 p.m., but firefighters continued their work until departing nearly four hours later.
No injuries were reported, and McCarthy said the presence of construction equipment, including a backhoe, and a muddy yard did not hamper firefighting efforts.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation. McCarthy said it appeared to start in the rear of the house.
The house, at 7 South Rohallion Drive, is listed in tax records as belonging to Ralph and Robyn Del Negro, whose home address is given as Forrest Avenue in Rumson. [Editor’s note: the address of the fire, and the name of the property owner, was originally reported as 3 South Rohallion.]
The Sea Bright Fire Department Facebook page has some compelling photos and video.
