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The Aug. 11 blaze tore through the couple’s Circle Drive home, prompting several neighbors to take action, Daily Record reports.
“The neighbors were actually outside and saw the flames and went and banged on the door,” Police Chief Martin McParland said in the report.
“They got the couple out. The neighbors tried to help with garden hoses and stuff. Then our guys came, but you can only do so much with hoses and fire extinguishers so they had to wait until the fire trucks got there.”
Five fire departments and 45 minutes later, the blaze — which started on the home’s left side and spread to the attic — was successfully extinguished, and the couple remained unscathed.
The fire, smoke and water damage the home sustained made it irreparable, fire crews said.
“It took us a good 45 minutes to put it out due to the fact that an interior crew saw the roof was sagging and was on fire,” said Fire Chief Joseph Aragona. “It became a dangerous situation. We pulled the firefighters out and went into a defensive attack from the outside.”
“It was basically a total loss in my opinion,” Aragona said of the home.
The cause of the fire was declared accidental and was not suspicious.
More than $12,000 had been raised on a GoFundMe to help the Eberles rebuild as of Wednesday afternoon. Funds will be used for housing and immediate needs, the campaign says.
Donna Danduone, the Eberles’ daughter and a township resident, says she and her parents have been overwhelmed with gratitude from the support they’ve received from neighbors, friends and other community members.
“The fire marshal was gracious, the construction department has helped us deal with what’s next,” she said. “Everyone throughout the town — no matter which way we turn — has been supportive.”
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