Propane Explosion, Fire At Toms River 'Amityville Horror' House

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Fire damaged a deck at the home used for the filming of the 1979 movie "The Amityville Horror," authorities said Wednesday evening.

The fire on Brooks Road was reported about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday by a neighbor who heard an explosion and saw the fire, said Jillian Messina, media relations specialist for the Toms River Police Department.

The neighbor told police he did not believe anyone was home, she said. Firefighters with the Toms River Fire Company were able to quickly extinguish the fire, which had caused a propane tank to explode, on the rear deck of the home.

The fire does not appear to be suspicious, Messina said.

Ocean County Scanner News first reported the fire and identified it as at the site of "The Amityville Horror" filming location.

The Toms River Fire Prevention Inspectors IAFF Local 5303 Facebook page said the fire remained under investigation as of Wednesday afternoon.

"This morning our fire investigators were on the scene of a working deck fire in the Downtown section of town. The fire was contained to the rear deck of the house. The home has been identified as the infamous Amityville Horror House. Great job by all!" the post said.

The fire inspectors group said Toms River Fire Companies 1 and 2 and East Dover Fire Company responded, along with Toms River police and Toms River Police EMS.

After a sequel was filmed in 1982, the then-Dover Township Committee adopted a prohibition on commercial filmmaking in all residential zones, according to USA Today.

The original 1979 movie was based on a book and starred James Brolin and Margot Kidder played George and Kathy Lutz, who move with their three children into a lovely Dutch colonial house with its iconic eye windows in the coastal town of Amityville, N.Y., according to USA Today.

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