Salem Township firefighters discover mobile home filled to the rafters

Salem Township firefighters discovered a manufactured home so filled with items - everything from appliances to mattresses, pianos and boxes - that they struggled to extinguish a fire there early today.

It's unclear whether anyone lived in the residence at Northville Crossings manufactured home community on the township's north end.

"I've never seen anything like this," said Salem Township Trustee Brien Witkowski, a liaison for the Salem Fire Department. "The house was so packed that air couldn't get in, so the fire was relatively minor."

A neighbor noticed smoke coming from the home at about 5 a.m. today. Firefighters entered the front door and were immediately prevented from getting inside because of boxes up to the ceilings.

Each time they moved items, they found more - countless boxes, nearly a dozen mattresses, three pianos, computers and printers, washers and dryers, six TVs and much more, Witkowski said.

Firefighters cut holes in the sides of the mobile home to get to the fire, Witkowski said. They pulled the items from the home, and a backhoe was called in to deal with the property.

Witkowski said a mattress was set up in one of the three bedrooms, but firefighters don't know whether anyone was living there. A damage estimate was not available this morning.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.