LAKEWOOD, NJ – A menorah is cited as the cause of a significant blaze that ravaged a residence in Lakewood’s Raintree neighborhood on Thursday evening. Firefighters responded to the scene shortly after 6:30 PM, encountering a fully engulfed home fire.
All inhabitants of the house had evacuated safely before the arrival of the firefighting teams.
Lakewood Police received a distress call around 6:35 PM regarding a menorah-induced fire, with flames visibly bursting from the house’s windows. Firefighting units, including Chief 1, E-5, and L-5, were already attending to another menorah fire in the township when they were alerted. Given the severity of the situation, as indicated by multiple calls, the incident was escalated to a working fire assignment.
Upon their arrival, firefighters witnessed flames emanating from the first floor of the two-story wooden structure. Chief 2 joined the scene shortly after E-5 and C-1. Engine five commenced firefighting operations while C-1 coordinated the response. The team successfully brought the fire under control, continuing operations for over an hour. Additional support was summoned from Brick Township and Howell.
Despite the intensity of the fire, there were no reported injuries. The Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office is currently investigating the cause of the incident, which remains undetermined at this time.