Fire guts South Jersey ambulance squad building

The American Legion Ambulance Squad building in Woodstown, Salem County, was gutted in a raging fire that broke out around 4 a.m. Monday, police said.

Neighbors reported heavy flames and smoke, and said they heard explosions inside the structure on Maple Court. Fire officials said the popping was from oxygen canisters inside the four ambulances parked within.

Four squad members who were on duty at the time were inside the building when the fire erupted but were able to safely escape. Authorities say one of the workers smelled smoke, discovered the fire and alerted co-workers to quickly leave the building.

The fire was brought under control at 6 a.m.

Hours later, Edel Huskey, a member of the ambulance squad, and her husband, Mark Schlageter, stood before the building, one that offered them decades of memories.The two were married there, in a building constructed largely by the community and felled by the blaze.

What's left is so damaged that nothing is salvageable, Huskey said. The red-brick structure had been a mainstay of the community since it was first built in the 1960s. It expanded when a second wing was constructed in 1972, financed in part by squad members who took out second mortgages on their homes to help pay for it, she said.

"There's a lot of memories here," she said through tears. "It's a loss, but nobody got hurt."

The squad lost practically all of its equipment, including new computers and an ambulance that arrived only Sunday, Huskey said. The Associated Press reported the damages at $2 million.

Nearby towns, including Elmer, have offered to loan Woodstown some of their  ambulances while the squad grapples with its loss and makes plans for the future, she  said.

While the path forward is still unclear, residents have already shown their support for the company's next steps — Huskey says the dispatch center received phone calls all day Monday from residents asking how they can help.

The company will temporarily move to its second location in Salem Township, though several businesses have offered space as well.

"The outpouring of support from our community … has been overwhelming," she said. "It's been absolutely overwhelming."

No other details, including the cause of the blaze, were released. An investigation is continuing.

This story has been updated. 

Staff writer Jan Hefler contributed to this story, which also contains information from the Associated Press.