BURLEIGH – 50 units at Burleigh Mini Storage went up in flames between 8:45 and 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 19, in what Middle Township Fire Co. Chief John McCann said was one of the biggest fires he has seen in his 40 years of service.
An arrest was made the following day by Middle Township Police Department, when a joint investigation between local and state authorities led them to Salvatore Gellura, of Green Creek, who they charge lit cardboard in a metal container to keep warm while working inside his unit. The fire quickly spread to the rest of the building.
One injury was reported; the individual was transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
McCann said the 10 fire companies that responded to the blaze were “lucky” that the wind was on their side that day. The 50-unit structure’s roof caved in 45 minutes into the blaze.
“We were fortunate that wind was blowing out of the west, blowing fire away from the other units. The other units right next to the units were avoided,” McCann told the Herald.
The building that caught fire was one of seven storage buildings at Burleigh Mini Storage at 663 Shunpike Road. The blaze was contained by about 10:30 that morning, but fire teams stuck around until around 6 p.m. to put out what McCann called “hot spots” that resulted from objects within the units catching fire.
Mitchell Nichols Excavating & Demolition brought excavators to the scene to clear debris, which revealed smaller fires underneath the rubble. McCann explained that large objects – including vintage cars, motorcycles, furniture and household goods – were trapped under the collapsed roof and caught fire once exposed, hence the hot spots.
Ten fire companies were called in to help because the storage facility is not hooked up to municipal water, and no fire hydrants were available for use. Water had to be brought on-site by the responding companies, from Middle Township, Court House, Stone Harbor, Greek Creek, Rio Grande, Goshen, Ocean View, Dennis Township, Erma and Villas. North Wildwood Station 2 covered for Middle Township Fire Co. while it fought the blaze.
“It took a lot of water,” McCann said. He estimated that 12 tankers on-site were refilled 10 times before all was said and done. Each tanker can hold between 2,000 and 4,000 gallons of water.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service also arrived at the scene after “some of the woods started burning across the street,” McCann said. The fire that spread to the nearby forested area was quickly contained.
The man who is accused of starting the fire was charged with third-degree arson and fourth-degree false reports to law enforcement. He is currently being held in the Cape May County Correctional Center.
Margaret McAteer, from Wildwood Crest, told the Herald during the blaze’s early hours that most of her family’s possessions are contained at the storage facility while her family awaits the construction of their new home in Court House. She confirmed on Thursday with the Herald that her unit was safe.
Contact the author, Collin Hall, at chall@cmcherald.com or by phone at 609-886-8600 ext. 156
