Maureen Boggio, a Manorhaven resident and US Census worker was knocking on doors in Manorhaven on Monday, Aug. 10 when she saw a large cloud of smoke in the sky. At first, Boggio thought the thick cloud of gray smoke was coming from a burning car, but she quickly realized the smoke was coming from the second floor of the house next door, at 51 Dunes Ln.
“I ran up to the building and I saw that it was a house fire, not a car fire,” Boggio recalled. “It smelled very bad. And when I got near the house, there was a family in the backyard of the house, a father, two boys and two of their friends. The flames were very intense—blowing out the windows. You could hear all the cracking of the windows bursting and flames were shooting out.”
Once Boggio noticed the house was on fire, she shouted to the family to get to safety while she dialed 911. After hearing the commotion, employees from PSEG who were working on the power lines nearby came by to offer their assistance to the family.
“A group of PSEG employees ran into the yard and carried the boys over to me across the street,” Boggio said. “I just tried to keep the [boys] occupied, and not overwhelmed.”
According to Boggio, while they waited for the fire department to arrive, several residents also ran over to the burning home with fire extinguishers to try to put the fire out.
“Neighbors were running over with fire extinguishers,” Boggio said. “There was a big like neighborhood rally to get everybody out.”
After the family was safe and the fire and police departments arrived, Boggio left the scene. As she was walking down the block, a gentleman who happened to be the second resident living in the two-family home asked what was going on ahead. Boggio relayed the information about the burning house to the second resident, who became visibly distraught.
“It was very sad news to have to relay to someone,” Boggio said.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire, but the home was completely destroyed. Boggio hopes the community will step-up to help the family get back on their feet. Boggio believes the family’s children go to Manorhaven Elementary School, where her own children also attend. She plans to contact the Manorhaven Elementary School Principal to let her know about the fire.
A Gofundme page has been set up for the second family, to donate visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/beth-amp-andy-schwartz-house-fire-after-hurricane?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cp%20share-sheet&fbclid=IwAR1FZZr3e3UdduGZ2rER3gGznyrwMkYXj8_SBpaj52NsLWQOcRsaMg523ag
