Family narrowly escapes house fire in Camden County: 'All of us could have perished'
New Jersey family of seven loses home in overnight fire
A family of seven in Pine Hill, Camden County lost their home to a devastating early morning fire, prompting community support and donations.
PINE HILL, N.J. - Seven people were able to escape a raging house fire that erupted overnight in Camden County, according to officials.
What we know:
Firefighters were called to a home on Erial Road in Pine Hill around 1 a.m. Tuesday for reports of a house fire.
Officials say a family of seven people were able to escape the flames, including one man who jumped out a back window and an 18-year-old who sustained burns on his hands.
Family narrowly escapes house fire in Camden County
Seven people were able to escape a raging house fire that erupted overnight in Pine Hill, Camden County.
It took firefighters about 40 minutes to put the fire under control. Battalion Chief Sal Pizzo described a "labor-intensive" firefight that required crews to run 800 ft. and 900 ft. hose lines.
Seven people were taken to the hospital for evaluation, and all but one has been released.
What they're saying:
Lo Worrell, who lives at the home with her husband and four kids, said her 16-year-old son was up late and was first to hear the smoke alarm go off.
"He heard the fire alarm and then he saw some smoke, so he ran down and said the house is on fire," Worrell told reporters. "We grabbed our kids immediately, our two young girls, 5 & 6, we came upstairs and we couldn't see a thing, the smoke was so black."
Worrell said her husband, Josh, tried to go back into the house to rescue their other son, but he couldn't get past the flames.
"I was just on the ground preparing to bury my son, and he came running through the flames into my arms," she said.
Worrell credited smoke detectors for keeping her and her family alive.
"Make sure you have [smoke detectors], every house needs them, because we're a family of six and all of us could have perished in this fire if it wasn't for my son hearing the smoke alarm," Worrell said.
She identified the man who escaped through the window as her father. Worrell said he sustained burns on his back and is at a hospital in Philadelphia receiving treatment.
The family described losing all their belongings and memories, with Worrell saying, "My mom died when I was 13 so this is all of my memories of her and it’s all gone now."
Neighbors and businesses rally to help
Local perspective:
The Pine Hill community is coming together to support the family, collecting donations at Pine Hill Pizza along Erial Road.
Angelo Disilvestro, owner of Pine Hill Pizza, said, "They have been ordering from me for 24 years, I’ve gotten to know them very well. They’re such good people."
Disilvestro told FOX 29, "We’re just a place to make it easier on the family so they only have to come to one spot..not six or seven.." He added, "This is a wonderful small town and people show up for each other here."
Donations include clothes, shoes, diapers, toys and other essentials for the family as they recover from the fire.
The smell of ashes lingered along Erial Road as neighbors and friends gathered to help the family in the aftermath of the fire.
What you can do:
A GoFundMe campaign has been established to help the family.
"Donations will help with temporary housing, medical expenses, clothing, food, and other essential needs as they recover from this tragedy," the GoFundMe reads.
The fundraiser has already raised more that $15k as of this writing, with an overall goal of $35k.
What we don't know:
Firefighters have not said how the fire started.