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An intense blaze destroyed the home on Alex Drive.in Howell on Thursday.
The home's occupants escaped safely thanks to a neighbor who ran across the street after spotting flames, police said.
Howell Township Police Chief Andrew Kudrick said, "The blaze was so intense the woods caught on fire, a shed and fence two houses down began to burn."
The fire broke out about 12:45 p.m.
"Sadly, today a family lost their home," Kudrick wrote on the police department's Facebook.page. "Fortunately, everyone was able to escape. The neighbor across the street realized the house was on fire and ran over and alerted the residents who were not aware the entire exterior front of their house was ablaze."
Firefighters from Wall, Freehold Township and Tinton Falls assisted multiple Howell fire departments.
As firefighters fought the main house fire, several Howell police officers grabbed fire extinguishers from their vehicles, garden hoses from other homes and booster lines from additional arriving fire trucks and got to work assisting neighbors as they attempted to put out smaller fires around their houses, according to the police chief.
"While the main house was a complete loss, other houses were saved," Kudrick wrote. "It was a collaborative effort amongst all of us. Residents, firefighters and police working together to help each other. We are all 'committed to community'."
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