Home, restaurant burn in Ocean County fires

Two fires tore through a home and a restaurant in Ocean County on Monday.

A home at Chelsea Drive in Manchester following a fire (Ocean County Sheriff's Office)

A neighbor called police around 6 a.m. after seeing flames come out of the at a home on Chelsea Drive in Crestwood Village on Monday. Manchester Police say the owner of the home, Alan C. Palm, was not home at the time. Several house pets died in the fire; neighbors told the Asbury Park Press that Palm had several pet cats.

During an investigation into the fire, an inert mortar round was found inside the hom. The New Jersey State Police Bomb Squad and Hazmat Units were summoned to the scene and determined that the item did not pose a threat to public safety. The Ocean County Sheriff’s Office K-9 accelerant dog also responded to the scene and found no evidence of explosive or incendiary material.

The fire, which has been ruled as accidental, left the home uninhabitable.

In Brick, a fire started in the hibachi area of the Flaming Grill and Buffet on Hooper Avenue around 7:30 a.m. which was brought under control within an hour, according to the Asbury Park Press. The restaurant will be closed for several days to make repairs caused by activation of the restaurant's fire suppression system.

Both fires remain under investigation.