A family of six has been forced to find temporary shelter after a fire damaged a portion of their Mill Street home on Saturday afternoon.
Matt and Dana Roman and their four daughters, ages 21, 17, 14 and 11, were not home at the time of the fire, which was reported at 12:53 p.m., according to Kevin Flynn, chief of the Forked River Fire Department.
Flynn said there were flames coming from the back of the home at 104 Mill St. when they arrived at the scene, but they were able to bring the fire under control in 20 minutes.
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"I had left early to go fishing," Matt Roman said, and his wife had gone out with their daughters to a street fair in Manahawkin.
"I got a phone call from my neighbor, Frank, telling me I needed to come home because my house was on fire," Matt Roman said. The family's dog, Rusty, was in the house when the fire started but had escaped somehow, and Matt Roman said the neighbor had found Rusty in the back yard and took him into his home to keep the dog safe.
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"We're not sure how he got out," Matt Roman said, "but he's got a cut on his nose."
"Usually he's in his pen. God was watching over him," Matt Roman said. Also unharmed were some beta fish that had been brought in for a party scheduled for Sunday, and a bench and family photos in the foyer of the home. Dana Roman shed tears of relief when firefighters handed her a bag containing photos and telling her a bench that clearly had sentimental value had been moved outside and was undamaged except for soot.
Deputy Fire Marshall Brian Mount said the cause of the fire remained under investigation.
Firefighters from the Lanoka Harbor, Forked River, Bamber Lakes and Waretown fire companies responded, as did the Berkeley Township F.A.S.T. team and Lacey Township police.
"We have lots of family in the area, lots of support," Matt Roman said.
