FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE TOWNHOUSE FIRE
At 6:11 AM on Saturday, October 12th, the Monmouth Junction Fire Department, Monmouth Junction First Aid Squad, and South Brunswick Police were dispatched to Building 62 Cedar Court in the Whispering Woods complex for a report of smoke coming from a balcony and an alarm sounding on the third floor. First arriving police officers and the Fire Chief entered the 18-unit townhome building and encountered heavy smoke with fire burning through the walls and ceiling of a residence on the third floor. Police officers immediately began evacuating the residents from the building as first arriving firefighters stretched a hose line to the third-floor unit to begin attacking the fire. Firefighters were able to confine the fire to one unit, with several other residences suffering minor damage.
“This was an extremely challenging and manpower-intensive operation for firefighters. Crews stretched two hose lines up to the third floor, all the way to the rear of the fire unit, used hand tools to open the walls and ceiling, then quickly contained and ultimately extinguished the fire. These were no small tasks and it is only because of the outstanding efforts of the firefighters that the damage was contained to one unit," said Monmouth Junction Fire Chief Scott Smith.
One unit was deemed uninhabitable, with the residents of all other units allowed to re-occupy their homes. All Fire Department units cleared the scene by 9:45 AM. The fire is currently under investigation by the South Brunswick Township Fire Safety Bureau.
A total of 8 fire departments and 45 firefighters responded to the 3-alarm fire, including firefighters from Monmouth Junction, Kendall Park, Kingston, Jamesburg, Plainsboro, Monroe, Franklin Park and Monroe. Additional firefighters from Rocky Hill, Griggstown, Milltown, and East Brunswick covered empty South Brunswick fire stations and responded to one additional fire call. Ambulances from Monmouth Junction, Plainsboro and Monroe responded, and there were no injuries to residents or firefighters.
