"We're all okay," the family's mother, Dotty Lee said, holding one of their five dogs, Majestic. The dog ran away as firefighter fought the blaze.
EDISON -- A day after the Lee family lost their home and many of their belongings to a two-alarm fire on frigid Thursday afternoon, they were relieved to find one of their dogs outside their now uninhabitable home.
The blaze started on the second floor around 2:30 p.m. by a lit candle that was left unattended in the bathroom, Edison Fire Chief Brian Latham said.
This was one of two fires in Middlesex County Thursday where firefighters had to deal with temperatures below freezing while battling multi-alarm blazes. In New Brunswick, 42 people were displaced after an apartment building caught fire.
"They made sure everyone was out," Brenda Lee said of the Edison emergency responders. "They really did their job."
That everyone included the six residents of the Candy Court house, as well as five dogs, two cats and two kittens. The family was still looking for one of their cats but they knew she made it out safe, homeowner Dotty Lee said.
"We're all okay," the family's mother, Dotty Lee said, holding one of their pit bulls, Majestic. The dog ran away amidst the commotion but was found Friday afternoon when the family came back to the boarded up home. Charred items that once were packed in the house's attic were piled on the lawn.
Firefighters got the fire under control in about an hour despite cold conditions after the residents safely got out before emergency responders arrived, town officials said. Crews from JFK Medical Center set up tents with heaters to keep the firefighters and residents warm.
The fire spread without residents realizing and delayed emergency response time because the home had no smoke detectors installed, Latham said.
No one was injured in the fire, but one of their pit bulls, Gunner, was at an animal hospital for smoke inhalation.
Dotty said her family would stay with neighbors and at local hotels.
"It's just hard when you gotta find somewhere new that's home," Brenda Lee said.
Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.