Firefighters struggle to get water as Ewing home burns (VIDEO)

Firefighters on scene at a Ewing home Sept. 17 struggled to get water onto a blaze that consumed the house, raising questions about readiness in a community that relies heavily on volunteer fire departments, NJ.com reports.

According to the report, the first apparatus on scene was Tower 31 from the Prospect Heights Fire Co. — not the local fire company normally assigned to the area. That fire company's 200-gallon truck carries mostly ladders, but used what little water it had to begin fighting the blaze, according to the report.

Engine 32 from the Pennington Road Fire Co. arrived and headed for a hydrant, but a driver who hadn't been active with the company much recently wasn't familiar with the engine's valves, so there was a delay getting the pumper hooked up, according to the report. NJ.com obtained video of the incident, seen above.

According to the report, no one was hurt, but the Ilesanmi family lost most of their belongings as their home of 17 years as destroyed. Ewing has three all-volunteer fire companies, supplemented by nine full-time firefighters who work weekdays 8 to 4 p.m., according to the report — but the fire occurred after hours.