Unoccupied Building Burned to the Ground During Early Morning Fire

An unoccupied two-story house on Odessa Avenue was burned to the ground as the result of an early morning fire on Tuesday, April 10, Galloway Fire Chief Ron Garbutt said.

"We saved the garage, but the fire was already through the roof by the time we got there," Garbutt said.

According to Garbutt, no one has lived in the house for a week.

"The people who bought it over the summer had renters living there, and they moved out a week ago," Garbutt said. "The owners were planning to move in."

He said the owners were in the process of getting the house ready for moving in, but no one was there at the time of the fire. They still own a house elsewhere in Galloway Township, so no one was displaced, Garbutt said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time.

At 4:33 Tuesday morning, Pomona, Germania and South Egg Harbor fire departments responded to the fire, which was reported by a passing motorist, Garbutt said. Because the fire spread so quickly, fire officials were unable to determine where the blaze originated, although they were able to determine it came from the rear of the house.

"We're not sure if it was the first or second floor," Garbutt said.

According to Garbutt, there are no fire hydrants in the area, so five water tankers had to be brought in, from Port Republic, Delwood, the Air National Guard, Oceanville and Germania.

The fire was under control by 6:30, and the scene was completely cleared around 8:45.

No one was injured while combating the fire.