Avalon Volunteer Fire Department Responds to Structure Fire

AVALON – The Avalon Volunteer Fire Department responded to a working structure fire in the evening of Thursday, Feb. 12 at a property located at 4718 Fifth Avenue. The structure fire spread to an adjoining home before the fire was brought under control at approximately 3 a.m. Friday, Feb. 13. Both properties were unoccupied, and there were no injuries.
When the Avalon Volunteer Fire Department arrived at the scene they discovered a new home under construction fully involved in flames towards the Fifth Avenue side of the building. The fire quickly spread to a fully-built home on the north side of the building under construction. As of Friday at 8 a.m., the fire at the building of origin was completely extinguished; firefighters were still on the scene putting out hotspots that continued to burn in the adjacent property.
Avalon Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ed Dean reported that sustained winds of approximately 30 mph made the fire a quick-spreading event and caused embers sized a half foot in diameter to blow across the street to other homes. The Avalon Volunteer Fire Department took the proactive measure to gain access to these homes in order to prevent a more widespread fire event.
Chief Dean reports that more than a dozen local fire companies and emergency units from Cape May County assisted the Avalon Volunteer Fire Department at the scene. No cause of the fire has been determined. The Cape May County Fire Marshal’s Office will be at the fire scene Friday morning to begin the investigation into the cause of the fire. Two Avalon firefighters were treated at the scene by the Avalon Rescue Squad for exposure to the cold. Traffic detours remain in place Friday morning at the scene of the fire at Fifth Avenue.
The fire companies that assisted the Avalon Volunteer Fire Company at the scene and providing backup to other fire companies include Anglesea, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, Sea Isle City, Stone Harbor, Marmora, Seaville, Erma, Cape May Court House, Ocean View, Dennisville, Rio Grande, and Goshen.