Firefighters, residents burned in Toms River, NJ townhouse fire

TOMS RIVER — Six townhouse units were burned at a Jersey Shore complex early Monday morning leaving, residents displaced and several firefighters injured, according to officials.

Two townhouses were ablaze at the Mariner's Cove townhouses off Kettle Creek Road in the Silverton section of Toms River when firefighters arrived around 3:20 a.m., according to Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention Chief Inspector and fire official Matthew Jarona.

A man who was believed to be trapped inside a burning unit was later found safely outside, according to Jarona. Three other residents also made it out safely but one was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick for further evaluation, according to Jarona. Three firefighters were also treated for minor injuries and released, Jarona said.

Red Cross New Jersey said it was assisting eight people from 8 families.

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Accidental fire

A failure of energized electrical equipment appears to be the cause of the fire, according to an investigation by several agencies including the Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention and the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. The fire was deemed accidental, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

A total of six units were deemed unsafe with two of those units severely damaged, officials said.