Chester Firefighters Help Douse Major Washington Twp. House Blaze

A blaze that destroyed a Shenandoah Court home Saturday afternoon is under investigation and has left a Washington Township family homeless.

Police received a call of a house fire at about 3 p.m. Saturday when the homeowners of 7 Shenandoah Court came home to find smoke pouring from the home, Lt. Doug Compton said.

When police and first firefighters arrived on the scene, the second floor and roof of the structure was completely engulfed in flames, Compton said. There was no one home at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported.

"When I got on scene both stories were burning and the fire was going right through the roof," said Fairmount Fire Chief Pat Avello. "It was a pretty nasty fire."

Avello said when the homeowners arrived at the house and opened the front door, they were met with floor-to-ceiling black smoke. It was estimated the fire had been burning for about an hour before the residents came home. It took about two and-a-half hours to completely knock down the blaze, Avello said. 

All three companies in the Washington Township Fire Department, Chester Volunteer Fire Department, Califon, Budd Lake and Flanders Fire Companies all responded to the scene, along with the Long Valley First Aid Squad and Morris County Office of Emergency Management.

One firefighter was taken to Morristown Medical Center as a precaution for a minor back strain. 

The home was uninhabitable after the blaze was knocked down after sunset. 

For questions about this post, email jason.koestenblatt@patch.com.