Egg Harbor Township Vola Family Rises From The Ashes Of Fire

Today, we remember to catch up with The Joseph and Melissa Vola family of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey.

It’s been just about six months, when on February 1, 2022, they lost their entire home and one of their pets; their beloved dog Scooby.

Unless you’ve lost your home and all of your possessions in this manner (we have), it’s hard to imagine the overwhelming feeling of emptiness and loss.

I have watched the Vola family from afar. They’ve managed this kind of supreme loss as well as can be expected.

First, immediately following the fire, they moved in with neighborhood friends. That was huge, because when you lose your home and all of your belongings in the blink of an eye … having somewhere to go on day 1 of your new life cannot be overstated.

Next, the Vola’s found a nearby home to rent. This was important because it gave them their own space, again.

Then, in the all-important next phase, they found a new home to buy. Not a brand new home, but, their new home.

This is what Melissa Vola had to say about this monumental moment:

“We are officially homeowners again! We could not be more thrilled. I am absolutely head over heels in love with our new home and can not wait to get the memories started! It needs a little TLC and attention but it has great bones, an awesome location, and everything on our check box marked.”

She thanked her realtor and said there’s “lots of fun to be had at the Vola's!”

There are a lot of ups and downs when you experience this kind of loss. You think about your former home, where so many important family memories had taken place.

About this, Melissa said:

“It's a bittersweet moment. Thinking of the kids sitting on that front step when they were little…it's still so hard to look at 13 years worth of photos taken inside that house and all the memories there...about to be gone forever.”

This is a direct reference to their former home on Superior Road, which is about to be torn down to the ground for good.

We stopped by yesterday and took a few photos:

As you can see, the heavy equipment and large commercial dumpster are onsite.

This is the final phase of the inanimate equivalent of bereavement.

As someone who has been there, you can’t help but watch as what’s left of your home is now completely gone.

Then, make no mistake about it … you’ll go back in the future to see the empty lot and wonder what will sit there next?

In our case, it’s been more than 50 years and our former home site is still an empty, black top lot, located on St. David’s Place in Atlantic City. I still stop by just to take a look at it from time-to-time.

Since 2015, it even bore my name. It’s still surreal and I thank Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small and Council President George Tibbitt and a unanimous vote of the Atlantic City Council for making this happen.

I share this very personal story, to illustrate that even 50 years later, you never forget this kind of life-changing experience.

I feel genuinely connected to this street.

Melissa Vola has an important message about the importance of a proper electrical inspection of your home, saying on July 12, 2022:

“Please take my advice. After losing our entire house to an "electrical fire" we just had our new house inspected by an electrician this morning and he found a hanging live wire in the attic and a mess of wires by someone who did a cheap crappy job in the garage. Both are fire hazards,” said Vola.

“Get your house inspected by an electrician today before it's too late,” said Vola.

If you missed any of our extensive coverage from February, 2022, here are direct links to catch up:

Read More: Significant House Fire In Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey

Read More: Egg Harbor Township Fire Victim Joe Vola: Police Officer & Marine

Above, is the Vola family home just 8 hours after the fire, followed by The Vola family in front of their new home. What a difference six months can make.

This is a great example of when a family and community come together at a time of supreme loss.