Fire Guts Spring Lake Heights Townhouse

An elderly Spring Lake Heights woman Tuesday afternoon was carried to safety by construction workers after her townhouse caught fire and was almost completely destroyed, authorities said. 

Emergency crews responded to the call at 3:21 p.m. at The Commons townhouses on Monmouth Avenue, where a fire quickly ripped through a two-story home, leaving an 86-year-old woman's home in ruins and minor damages to a neighboring dwelling, Spring Lake Heights Fire Chief Casey Willms and police at the scene said. 

The first crews on scene knocked down the fire within 10 minutes, but the aggressive blaze destroyed most of the home, Willms said. 

A construction crew working nearby spotted the fire in the rear of the townhouse, alerted the woman and helped remove her from the home, police said. 

Workers were also able to retrieve the woman's purse, police said. 

The woman, who lives alone and was unharmed during the blaze, was staying with a neighbor while investigators combed the scene, police said.

The entire townhouse complex of four buildings was evacuated during the incident, police said. 

Fire companies from Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights, West Belmar and South Belmar responded to the call, Willms said. 

The Monmouth County Fire Marshall's office is investigating the cause of the fire, Willms said.