Several Agencies Investigate Chester House Fire

CHESTER, NJ — Local and county officials are seeking anyone who may have any information about a house fire that happened on Lamerson Road on Monday night.

A responding officer from Chester Police Department spotted the fire at about 10:44 p.m., according to Police Chief Thomas Williver.

Williver said a joint investigation is underway among the Chester Police Department, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Unit and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Further questions from Patch were referred to Meghan Knab of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, asking if the home was vacant, answers Knab said she couldn’t provide, with the investigation ongoing and in its early phases.

Nearby fire departments provided mutual aid at the scene for the Chester Volunteer Fire Department, with the Morris County Communications Center dispatching Bernardsville, Brookside, Budd Lake, Fairmount, Flanders, Far Hills, Liberty Corner, Mendham Borough, New Vernon, Peapack-Gladstone, Ralston and Randolph, to help.

Fairmount Fire Company No. 1 out of Long Valley posted photos of their mutual aid response, stating they stayed on the scene for four hours with the other fire departments, to help extinguish the fire.

Matt Slack of the Fairmount Fire Company took this video footage of the fire while on the scene.

Chester First Aid Squad and Morris County’s Office of Emergency Management and the EMS Task Force Mobile Ambulance Bus, assisted at the scene.

Route 206 was closed between Old Chester Road and Rogers Road, according to police, as the fire blazed and first responders worked.

Those with tips about the fire should call Chester Police Sgt. Christopher Cavanagh at 908-888-2774 or ccavanagh@chesterpolice.org; or Knab at the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at 973-829-8159 or mknab@co.morris.nj.us.

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