

WESTFIELD — A township woman is accused of repeatedly interfering with firefighters battling a blaze that occurred in her new home in the Wychwood section of town, and then biting one police officer and kicking two others.

Courtney Schael, 50, was arrested at the fire scene late Friday and charged with three counts of aggravated assault on a police officer and one count each of resisting arrest and interfering with administration of law.

Firefighters from several towns battled the blaze that damaged the historic "Gatehouse," which Schael and her sister had purchased but had not yet moved into, police said.

Schael entered the area where firefighters were working adjacent to the house, "putting herself in harms way," despite repeated warnings to stay back, Westfield police Capt. Scott Rodger said.

"She was upset with the quality of the performance of the fire department. She was told several times to stay out of the active fire area," Rodger said, adding that Schael used profanities towards the firefighters.

When a police officer told her to stay back, she shoved the officer, at which point the officer arrested her, and she bit him on the thumb, Rodger said.

As she was being put in a police cruiser, Schael kicked one officer in the knee and another officer in the chest, Rodger said.

She was arrested about 9:30 p.m. She was released on $5,000 bail on Saturday, police said.

The fire in the house, which was built in 1928, apparently started accidentally in a switch to an exterior light, fire officials said. They said firefighters battle the blaze in the home at the corner of East Broad Street and Wychwood Road for three hours before bringing it under control about 10:20 p.m.

Attempts to reach Schael today were unsuccessful.

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