Two firefighters were injured Saturday while battling a Middle Township house fire.
The blaze was the third reported in the county in 16 hours.
“”Busy, busy, busy,”” said John McCann, assistant chief of the Cape May Court House Volunteer Fire Company. “”Too busy.””
The busy stretch started at about 11 p.m. Friday on the 100 block of Davis Road in the Rio Grande section of Middle Township.
Township police said the home was engulfed by flames when firefighters arrived. No one was home when the fire started, and the Red Cross is assisting the home’s residents.
Police and the county Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating the fire.
Firefighters from the Rio Grande, Green Creek, Cape May Court House, Villas and Erma volunteer fire companies responded, along with Middle Township EMS and the Rio Grande Rescue Squad.
The second fire was reported after 9 a.m. Saturday on the 800 block of Courthouse-Dennisville Road in Dennis Township.
Dry conditions, low humidity and heavy winds helped the flames engulf an aluminum barn, turning the contents into char before spreading to nearby brush, authorities said.
That fire was contained by 10:45 a.m.
Ninety-nine minutes later, at 12:24 p.m., a fire was reported in a home on Fourth Avenue in Middle Township. Flames burned through the home’s roof and walls, rendering the house uninhabitable, McCann said.
About 50 firefighters from the Cape May Court House, Stone Harbor, Rio Grande and Green Creek volunteer fire companies responded, McCann said.
Again the wind played a factor, McCann said, with the gusts fueling the flames’ growth.
Two firefighters were injured while fighting the fire. Jake Loefflad, of the Stone Harbor Volunteer Fire Company, slipped off a ladder and fell to the ground, injuring his back and ribs,Middle Township police said. Randy Wolford, of the Cape May Court House Volunteer Fire Company, twisted his ankle during the fire and was taken to Cape Regional Medical Center. Their injuries were not serious.
“”One guy is home, and another will be home shortly, thankfully,”” McCann said Saturday afternoon.
Firefighters stayed at the scene on Fourth Avenue until 4:45 p.m., making sure the third fire did not spread, he said.