Family Escapes Mill Road Fire

A Mill Road family escaped an early morning house fire in East Farmingdale Tuesday after an alert neighbor warned them of the blaze, the house owner said.

"We were asleep, and a neighbor who was on the way to work rang the bell and told us," said Stephen Suppes , who owns the two story colonial home.

When they learned that the rear extension of his house was on fire at about 6 a.m., the three people inside quickly evacuated taking their two dogs with them. Nobody was hurt.

Firefighters put out the blaze, which started in a back room on the ground floor, in less than an hour.

Suppes said he owes a great deal of thanks to the neighbor, who moved onto the street only a few days ago.

"I didn't even know her, but I gave her a hug and a kiss," he said.

The homeowner said he believes it was an electrical fire, that did about $100,000 worth of damage. Most of it was confined to the the rear section of the home.

Firefighters from East Farmingdale and South Farmingdale responded to the scene, a fire official said.