The blaze remains under investigation but fire officials said it appears to be accidental.
BRIDGEWATER -- A fast-moving, early-morning fire raced through a townhouse at Vanderhaven Farms, leaving a burnt-out shell at 3202 Pinhorn Drive, a yard full of debris and three families displaced Friday.
At approximately 7:15 a.m., the Country Hills Fire Company received a call of an active fire at the residence, said Fire Chief Patrick Doherty. Flames were coming from the residence when firefighters arrived, he said.
It took firefighters roughly 30 minutes to get the blaze under control, said Doherty, but by then the townhouse was completely destroyed and the two townhouses on each side were badly damaged.
"I was getting ready for work," said Donna Bontempo, who lives in one of the damaged townhouses. "I was getting out of the shower and I smelled smoke. I looked out of my window and there were flames galore. I grabbed my daughter and tried to get our pets. I got my dog but wasn't able to get my cat, and we ran outside.
"Fortunately, after everything calmed down, firefighters found my cat. She had been hiding. I was so relieved she was okay."
Karl McAleer, Acting Fire Marshall in Bridgewater, said it appears that the fire started accidentally on the first floor of the townhouse but the blaze remains under investigation. The residents of the destroyed townhouse called in the fire, he said.
"The fire partitions did there job and held," said McAleer. "It prevented the fire from spreading to the other units."
Doherty said there were no injuries to residents or firefighters.
"It was a 'quick stop,'" he said. "Everybody did a great job."
In addition to Country Hill, firefighters from North Branch, Green Knoll, Bradley Gardens, Raritan, Finderne and Somerville responded to the blaze, said McAleer.
Bontempo has lived in her townhouse for 17 years.
"No one has told us anything," she said. "We don't know what happened."
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.