Family Evacuated As Fire Hits Elton Lane Home

A family of six has been evacuated from their home on Elton Lane to avoid being caught in a fire.

According to two Absegami High School students, the family was already completely out of the home and had called 9-1-1 by the time they came across the scene, just before 1p.m.

Several fire departments, Galloway police and the ambulance squad reported to the scene about 10 minutes later. The fire is under control.

According to Fire Chief Ron Garbutt, an adult female who is a cousin of the family suffered first or second degree burns. She was treated at the scene and released. The cousin was not home at the time the fire started, and there were no additional injuries to report.

According to Garbutt, the fire was the result of a cooking accident in the garage. The fire was contained to the garage, but other parts of the home suffered smoke damage, making it temporarily uninhabitable.

According to Garbutt, the two adults and four children who live in the home have family in the area they can stay with, and they will eventually be able to return to their home.

"The structure is in tact," Garbutt said, adding that all the problems with the two-story home are "comsetic."

Absegami students Chris Chivalette, 16, and Jeremiah Long, 18, were returning home to the development from Egg Harbor City when they came across the smoke. Initially, Chivalette said he thought someone had just left a power washer on, but Long knew it was something to be alarmed about.

"It's something that I think should just be taken seriously," Long said. "If I think it's a fire, it's a fire. It's better to be safe."

Within moments, the sky was filled with black smoke and the residents of the neighborhood were filling the streets.

"The garage was engulfed in flames," Chivalette said.

"There was a lot of smoke, and it went from brown to grey fast," Long said.