Fire leaves Manchester family homeless

The roaring fire that drove a Manchester family from their house Friday morning is deemed accidental, but investigators are still tracing the cause.

Police said the Morningside Street home in Pine Lake Park was renedered uninhabitable after the blaze, which was extinguished quickly after being reported at 10:15 AM.

All family members in the house at the time escaped unscathed, but they lost several pets in the heavy smoke and flames, police said. The Red Cross arranged lodging for the family.

Three firefighters sustained burns that police called minor, and were treated at Brick Hospital.

Respondents included firefighters from the Manchester, Ridgeway, Lakehurst, Manitou Park, Pleasant Plains, and Joint Base companies, as well as Toms River 1 and 2.

Jersey Central Power and Light, New Jersey Natural GAs, Manchester Animal Control and township building inspectors also responded.

The investigation continues under Manchester PD Detective Craig Beaulieu and members of the Ocean County Prosecutor's and Fire Marshall's offices.