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Fire During Deadly Long Branch Police Standoff Displaces Longtime Residents

Several residents were displaced by a fire that broke out during a police standoff that injured a detective and left a gunman dead Friday in Long Branch.

Long Branch Fire

Long Branch Fire

Photo Credit: Itzol Family Relief GoFundMe

More than $18,200 had been raised for the Itzol family, who lives in the Chelsea Avenue building, as of Sunday morning.

"This hits extremely hard for my family as we have been long standing residents, 30+ years, of the building that was set fire," Dennis Itzol writes.

"My mother and brothers, in one apartment and my uncle and his family in another, both of which were upstairs apartments, have lost everything in their homes due to damages the building suffered from the engulfing flames."

Authorities were executing a search warrant for a homicide investigating when someone inside of an apartment fired at law enforcement officials, injuring a detective.

Then, hours later, a fire broke out in the building.

As the gunman ran outside, he fired several more shots at law enforcement -- who fired back. He was pronounced dead.

His identity was not released.

Meanwhile, other residents in the building work to piece back together their lives.

"This is the only home any of us ever knew and was a common ground for many family celebrations and memories," Itzol said. 

"We are asking for donations to help in putting their lives back together and getting back to some sort of normalcy."

Click here to donate.

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