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A Summerfield Avenue home caught fire just before 2 a.m. on July 4, fire chief Kevin Keddy said today, and the department has video footage of the blaze.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze at the two-family, unattached, wood-frame dwelling shortly after receiving the call at 1:53 a.m., Keddy said. They arrived on the scene at 1405 Summerfield Ave., between Ridge and Prospect avenues, at 1:55 a.m.

The building’s first floor was vacant, while the second was occupied by five adults and a child, Keddy said. All were safe, and self-evacuated before firefighters arrived. They have now been relocated by the Red Cross.

The firefighters were dealing with “a very large volume of fire,” Keddy said. In an investigation after the fire was extinguished, firefighters discovered the blaze had started in some outdoor rubbish, including a mattress, located on the eastern side of the building. The fire started outside and burned up the wooden siding of the house, and got into the attic through a socket, Keddy said.

The situation is still under investigation, but has not been characterized as suspicious, Keddy said. Following an investigation and ensuring the occupants were safe, firefighters left the scene at 4:19 a.m.

The house sustained some damage, and the vinyl siding on the home to the east of it is partially melted, Keddy said.

The recent bouts of hot weather do not increase the risk of fire on their own, Keddy said, but increased use of electricity due to air-conditioning can. Also, the heat makes firefighters’ job more arduous because they must wear such heavy equipment.

Fire departments often call in additional companies so they can have “a strong tactical reserve because of the heat and the toll taken on firefighters,” Keddy said. With the July 4 fire, the department received assistance from the Neptune Fire Department, Wayside Fire Company in Tinton Falls, and the Wanamassa Fire Company.

Keddy praised the occupants’ ability to self-evacuate, and said it is important to have an EDITH — Exit Drills in the Home — plan in place in case of fire. For more information on EDITH, go to the National Fire Prevention Association’s website

The fire department video of the Summerfield Ave. blaze can be accessed by clicking here.

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