Two children were able to escape a burning home on the afternoon of May 15th. Willingboro Firefighters, along with firefighters from neighboring towns, were called to Buxmont Lane for a house fire at 3:14 pm. Engine 1613 was advised that several 911 calls were received stating that smoke was coming from the home. At 3:19 pm, the engine arrived on location and had smoke coming from a single story home.

Firefighters Centrone and Priest entered the home and found a fire burning in the dining room. They used a 1 3/4" hose line to quickly extinguish the fire. Captain Ramsey became the Operations Officer and Lieutenant Friddell was the Incident Commander. Due to the quick extinguishment of the fire, Lieutenant Friddell was able to place the fire under control at 3:27 pm. Engine 1613's crew also searched the home and found it empty.

Firefighters from Beverly and Burlington Township arrived on location and assisted with removing smoke and heat from the home. They also used hand tools to check for hidden fire in the dining room. The dining room area sustained most of the fire damage, while the rest of the home had heat and smoke damage. There were no injuries as a result of the fire.

An investigation was conducted by the Burlington County Fire Marshal's Office. The crew from Engine 1613, and a crew from Burlington City, removed burned materials from the home after the investigation. The Willingboro Township Inspections Department deemed the house uninhabitable until repairs are made to the home. A representative from the American Red Cross was at the scene to assist the family with temporary housing.

NOTE: The home had a working smoke detector at the time of the fire. The detector notified the children of the fire and helped them make an early escape. The same detector was still working over 30 minutes after the arrival of the fire department, even after being subjected to heavy smoke and heat conditions. This should be a reminder to everyone that working smoke detectors provide early notification of a fire and allow for a quick exit.

All units were clear from the scene at 5:58 pm.