“The water is almost instantly freezing,” said Vallauri, describing how the firefighters were injured as they fell on ice.

The fire was called in shortly after 7 p.m. and was fully involved when fire departments arrived. It wasn’t immediately clear how the fire began, Vallauri said.

By 7:45 p.m., more than a dozen emergency vehicles had arrived. Smoke could be seen coming from the top of the house in the back the cul de sac off Victoria Drive. A significant portion of the second story of the home was burned along with a garage.

Fire hoses lined the streets and many neighbors stood outside of their homes watching the fire that they said spread quickly.

The fire damaged two neighboring homes, Vallauri said.

Contact Jennifer Bogdan:

609-272-7239