Warren County Fire Marshal Joe Lake determined the blaze that destroyed a Greenwich Township home was accidental. Watch video
A fire that destroyed a Greenwich Township home Monday was accidentally started by a riding mower in the garage, the Warren County fire marshal said.
A shell of the home at 515 Standish Place in Greenwich Township is all that remains on Sept. 27, 2016 -- a day after a fast-moving fire destroyed the house. The Warren County fire marshal determined the cause was accidental. (Dave Dabour | lehighvalleylive.com contributor) Dozens of firefighters battled the blaze that swept through the home of William and Nina McEwen at 515 Standish Place in the township's Stewartsville section.
Fire Marshal Joe Lake said the blaze was sparked by a hot riding mower in the attached garage.
"The mower was partially in and partially out of the garage," he said.
The homeowner had left it there after cutting the grass and going inside for lunch, he said.
"He was in the house about a half-hour when he started to see smoke," Lake said. "He went out and the house was on fire."
The McEwens got out of the home safely and no one was hurt. The house was a total loss, according to Lake.
It was built in the late 1980s and the family is staying with relatives in the Lehigh Valley, Lake said.
Lake said he was assisted in the investigation by Detective Kyle Lazier of the Greenwich Township Police Department. They were aided by a witness who reported seeing the riding mower ablaze early on, he said.
The fire broke out shortly before 1 p.m. and burned for hours.
Jim Deegan may be reached at jdeegan@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @jim_deegan. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.