Families Displaced, 1 Hurt By Toms River Apartment House Fire

On Sunday, Oct. 23, at approximately 11:20 p.m., multiple police and fire units were dispatched to Edgewood Drive for a reported apartment structure fire, Toms River police said.

Upon arrival, there were many residents already outside and knocking on doors to assist in evacuating the building. 

Officers were met by residents Jordan Finkle and Dominic Dowd, who said that they had just assisted in rescuing a woman from the burning apartment and, although they did not see or hear anyone else, the woman told them there was another person inside.

Officer Tyler Pinto climbed onto the balcony of the apartment to locate the alleged entrapped individual but did not observe or hear anyone in the apartment, police said. The apartment began billowing black smoke as Pinto exited the balcony and the Toms River Fire Department arrived on scene to extinguish the blaze and secure the building.

The female victim was taken to Community Medical Center for treatment of smoke inhalation. 

Once the fire was extinguished, the apartment was again searched multiple times by fire fighters and first responders but there was no sign of anyone else inside.

Multiple apartments were damaged and deemed uninhabitable as a result of the fire. The American Red Cross was contacted and responded to the scene to help aid the residents. They later reported that two families were displaced by the fire.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time and remains under investigation by the Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention, the Toms River Police Detective Bureau, and the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. 

Also assisting on scene was the Ocean County Sheriff's Department CIU, multiple fire companies, and CSO/EMTs.

Police acknowledged the quick-thinking and heroic actions of the residents who came together to ensure everyone was able to get out of the apartments safely! Also thanks from police to Samantha Batiato who, along with neighbors, rendered aid to the victim and monitored her condition while waiting for first responders to arrive.

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