Car Fire Scorches Broadmoor Home

A car fire in the township's Broadmoor section Monday afternoon had some nearby residents thinking there was an explosion in their neighborhood.

The "explosion" actually was the car's tires popping in the fire that engulfed the older Cadillac, Gloucester Township Police Lt. Mike Harkins said at the scene.

Police and fire units dispatched to 743 Upton Way at 12:04 p.m. found that the fire had spread from the 1992 Cadillac Deville to the home's attached garage.

Firefighters from the township's Chews Landing Fire Department and nearby Magnolia Fire Department were able to quickly extinguish the blaze.

No one was injured in the fire.

The fire did not appear to cause any significant damage to the home's living area.

The fire victim told police he had started up the Cadillac, when he noticed some black smoke coming from the engine compartment, according to Harkins. He was able to exit the car before the fire started showing, but was unable to put out the blaze with a garden hose.

Residents probably heard a few separate pops as the car's tires exploded, the police lieutenant said.

George Glenn, of Roberts Drive, was one of several Broadmoor residents who came over to Upton Way to see what had happened.

"I felt a rumble, and I thought my son had dropped something really heavy upstairs. ... I heard a boom," he said. "He was going out, and he said there were a bunch of emergency vehicles over here."

While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, Police Sgt. Kevin Thyne noted a Camden County fire marshal who responded to the scene reported that he did not find anything suspicious about the fire.