Chatham Fire Departments Knock Out Tuesday Night Structure Fire

CHATHAM, NJ — Chatham Borough Volunteer Fire Department was already on the scene of a car accident with the Emergency Squad on Tuesday night, when they received a structure fire call at about 8:20 p.m.

Originally dispatched as an “explosion” on River Road by St. James Street and Bonnell Street, turned out to be a fully-engulfed structure fire on Bonnell Street, when the department arrived, Chief Jeff Fricke told Patch on Wednesday.

The call is in the audio below:

Chatham Boro 44 Fire Page Received at 20:21. https://t.co/A0qGlyhw1A
— MorrisAlert (@MorrisAlert) December 8, 2021

When the department arrived, the fire was “fully involved,” he said, the roof of the building having already collapsed.

Fricke said the department stayed on the scene to extinguish the fire for over three hours, the explosions small, which he said could have been from torches, propane tanks or the like, with the building housing a plumbing business.

Chatham Township Volunteer Fire Department provided mutual aid, along with the Chatham Emergency Squad, as well as Madison and Florham Park Fire Departments, while Green Village Fire Department was on standby.

There was no one in the building and no injuries, Fricke reported.

Chatham Borough’s Office of Emergency Management and representatives from Morris County OEM were also on the scene, he also said.

PSE&G and JCP&L were additionally notified of the incident.

The cause of the fire is yet unknown and remains under investigation, Fricke said.

See photos of the incident below posted on North Jersey Fire News:

Chatham Explosion 67 River Road. FD Dispatched. 1 story commercial was fully involved. Just moved in Chatham Twp Arial. Heavy black smoke starting to push. Still DWH. pic.twitter.com/y7WlWTZuTg
— NorthJersey FireNews (@NJFires) December 8, 2021

Questions or comments about this story? Have a local news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.