On Monday, Aug. 4, Gloria Loflin, better known to generations of area families as “Jingles” the clown, saw her home and belongings destroyed in a sudden, fast-moving fire.
At about 12:31 p.m., the Hamilton Township Police Department received a 911 call reporting a possible house explosion on the 200 block of Burning Tree Court in The Fairways, a residential community surrounding the Mays Landing Golf and Country Club.
Responding firefighters from Cologne, Mays Landing, Laureldale, Cardiff, Atlantic City Airport and Bargaintown fire departments, along with the Township of Hamilton Rescue Squad, arrived to find Loflin’s home engulfed in flames.
Loflin told CBS News Philadelphia that, physically, she is OK, but has lost everything.
She was outside when she heard a boom, and shortly after, a neighbor came by to get her and ensure she was safely away from the house.
Residents in the area described the Mays Landing neighborhood as pretty quiet. Some neighbors said they heard a boom around 12:30 p.m. and then ran outside to see what was going on, according to CBS News Philadelphia.
After the initial boom, the fire quickly spread as the six Atlantic County fire departments teamed together to extinguish the blaze.
The 911 call regarding the fire originally reported a house explosion. However, officials say this was a house fire, not an explosion.
A GoFundMe was organized by Kelly Forrester. As of Monday, Aug. 11, $3,060 out of the $8,000 goal has been raised.
“Anyone who’s lived in the EHT/Mays Landing area with 30-something-year-old kids has probably met or seen Jingles. She’s performed at parties, Young’s Skating Rink and so much more,” the GoFundMe states. “Her life of the last 20-plus years was gone in minutes. Jingles would give anyone in need the shirt off her back, even today when she has nothing, she’d still willingly give.”
The fundraiser says that Loflin is currently staying with family, but will need substantial help to clean up and rebuild.
Ken Groome, a neighbor who witnessed the fire, told 6 ABC Action News that the entire back of the house and porch were engulfed.
He said he heard “big booms” every once in a while — which Hamilton Township police said came from propane tanks at the house — and then Loflin’s shed seemed to implode.
Detectives said the blaze began around 12:30 p.m. Monday, and firefighters had the fire under control within 40 minutes.
The house is a total loss, and the two houses next door also have some damage, officials said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but police say it does not seem suspicious.
The GoFundMe to help Loflin can be found here: www.gofundme.com/f/jingles-the-clown-needs-your-help.
