Santa Alerts Family to Fire in NJ Home

Santa Claus rides on fire engines all over New Jersey this time of the year, waving to children, attending tree lightings and giving gifts.

On Saturday evening, Ol’ Saint Nick had to spring into action when he and the Reliance Fire Company spotted smoke coming from a home in Pilesgrove during the company’s annual tour through the township and Woodstown.

While riding atop of Reliance Ladder 12-6, Fire Chief Brian Facemyer said Santa and and his crew were traveling down Auburn Road when they noticed smoke coming from the eaves of a three-story single family residence at about 4:30 p.m.

Santa helped alert the family, the company said.

“It appears it was some type of malfunction with the chimney they had a wood stove burning and the fire was in the wall alongside the chimney where the wood stove was,” Fire Chief Brian Facemyer said.

“There was an adult female and five children inside that actually weren’t aware that the house was on fire till the firefighters went and knocked and opened the door,” Facemyer said.

Other fire companies arrived and extinguish the flames. Facemyer said no one was injured during this incident.

Facemeyer said the damage was contained to one side of a wall and a bathroom. The was ruled uninhabitable and the American Red Cross assisted the family with lodging, he said.

Facemyer said the house was located in a really rural area with no other houses close by, so if the fighters and Santa had not noticed the fire it might have turned out much different.

Santa helped with a excellent team effort, the chief said.

“The crew did a great job of transitioning from a community event and jumped right into service and did what they were trained to do,” Facemeyer said. “The crew reacted quickly and professionally and hopefully [the family] can get back in the house and most importantly [we] didn’t have any injuries or anything worse.”

Assisting the Reliance firefighters were the Deepwater Fire Department, Pedricktown Fire Company Station 3, Woolwich Fire Company, Harmony Volunteer Fire Company, Auburn Volunteer Fire Company Station 2, and Daretown Fire Company Station 16.

The fire delayed the Santa tour, but he’ll be back Sunday evening, Dec. 19, to tour Woodstown and Pilesgrove again starting at 4 p.m.

Vashti Harris may be reached at [email protected].