By NANCY RUMP

SEAVILLE - Upper Township fire officials believe an acetylene tank is to blame for an early morning blaze Thursday in Seaville that started with an explosion in a residential neighborhood. A local state trooper is being credited with alerting occupants inside the home and getting them out.

According to Seaville Fire Chief Rob Spiegel, the tank exploded inside a garage at a home at 6 Edwards Terrace. The garage caught fire shortly after 3 a.m. Jan. 22.

Staff Sgt. Robert Bauers of the Woodbine barracks said Det. Sarg. Mike Kane, who lives in the area, saw the fire, notified the people in the home and helped to get them out.

“He came across the incident and took appropriate action,” said Bauers.

Nobody was injured. But the flames were very intense, said Spiegel, and putting out the blaze became difficult as water began to freeze into a sheet of ice around the firefighters. Township road crews salted the road after the fire was contained.

It took close to a hour to get the fire under control and police and fire officials remained at the scene throughout most of the morning. Fire crews were called to the scene at 3:12 a.m.

Spiegel said the explosion was heard as far away as Marmora and was visible at many points in the township. Several local residents reported seeing or hearing the explosion to 911 dispatchers.

The fire destroyed two garages on the property, a work truck and a car trailer. Bauers said the trailer, located next to the garages, contained small race cars, which were also lost in the flames.

Volunteer firefighters from the township’s three mainland fire companies - Seaville, Marmora and Tuckahoe - were able to contain the fire itself to the two garages. However, the home suffered subsequent damage and is now uninhabitable. Spiegel said its electric box was destroyed.

County and State Police fire investigators responded to the scene, said Bauers. The Woodbine barracks is continuing an investigation to determine if the fire was of a suspicious nature.

The home is located just off Stagecoach Road between Butter and Hope Corson roads.