Family escapes fire in White Meadow Lake home

ROCKAWAY TWP. --  A family that has lived at 121 White Meadow Road for the past 15 years escaped an early morning blaze Monday by running out through their basement.

Loretta Turner, 24, who lives in Bloomfield, raced to the family's modular home, from which her parents, Freeman and Angelene Turner, and her two brothers, Evan, 16 and a student at Morris Hills High School, and Eric, 20, fled with only the clothes on their backs.

Loretta said her mother awoke around 3 a.m. and saw flames on the front porch and roused everyone, who got out through the basement.

Neighbors at 90 White Meadow Road opened their home to the family, which was being assisted by the American Red Cross as of 9 am.

Loretta Turner said her mother, a severe asthmatic, was taken to St. Clares Hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation and would be kept overnight.

She said that she and her aunt have established a GoFundMe Fundraiser; http://gofundme.com/azbu9t2s.

"We don't know whether the cat Ginger got out," Loretta said.

Rockaway Township Police Chief Martin McParland was at the scene and said the cause and origin are being investigated but the fire was accidental.  Dozens of firefighters were at the scene as of about 3 am, and the destroyed two-story home was visibly still smoking as of 9 am.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office is at the scene.

McParland said he is grateful that the family got out safely.  He was on his way to White Meadow Lake a mile away for the continuation of a search for a canoeist who disappeared in the water around 3 a.m. Sunday. One of the boaters managed to swim to shore but a second adult male in the canoe has not yet been found.

A township resident, Teddy Katz, called the Turners "a beautiful family" and said Freeman Turner had spent years as a volunteer coach for the youth football team, the Rockets.

Authorities said they expect the house to be torn down in the next day or two.

Staff Writer Peggy Wright: Pwright@GannettNJ.com; 973-267-1142.