Family of 5 forced to flee as their Burlco house burns down on Christmas Eve
Firefighters rescued some Christmas presents, but the family fled with nothing else but the clothes they were wearing.
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A family of two adults and three children fled their burning house in Tabernacle, Burlington County, on Friday morning, leaving with only the clothes on their backs and singed Christmas presents, local authorities said.
The house on Mockingbird Way “is uninhabitable now,” said Keith Zane, chief of the Tabernacle Township Fire Department, which responded to the fire along with several other departments.
One person was taken to a local hospital for treatment but none of the others sustained serious injuries, he said, declining to provide details.
“They got out with the clothes on their back, and we were able to rescue a few Christmas presents,” Zane added. The family called the fire department at 9:39 a.m. Friday and evacuated. Firefighters extinguished the flames within two hours.
The 2,055-square-foot house with 1.1-acre lot was purchased this month for $420,000, according to state property records.
The Red Cross responded to help the family, who are staying with relatives.
It’s unclear what started the blaze, but local fire companies from Medford, Medford Lakes, Southampton, Evesham, Waterford Township and Mount Laurel responded, “mostly for manpower and to bring water,” Zane said. Each truck can carry 2,500 to 3,500 gallons of water.
Tabernacle Township’s fire marshal, Thomas Boyd, is still investigating the cause.