3-Alarm Blaze At South Brunswick Townhouse Complex Damages Home

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — A three-alarm fire broke out at a townhouse complex over the weekend in South Brunswick, making one home uninhabitable, officials said.

At 6:11 a.m. on Saturday, firefighters and police officers 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 responders and the Fire Chief entered the 18-unit townhome building and found heavy smoke with fire burning through the walls and ceiling of a residence on the third floor, officials said.

Police officers immediately began evacuating the residents from the building as firefighters stretched a hose line to the third-floor unit to start attacking the fire.

Firefighters were able to confine the blaze to one unit, with several other residences suffering minor damage, officials said.

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 a.m.

“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,” Fire Chief Scott Smith said.

“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."

The fire is currently under investigation by the South Brunswick Township Fire Safety Bureau.

A total of eight fire departments and 45 firefighters responded to the fire, including firefighters from Monmouth Junction, Kendall Park, Kingston, Jamesburg, Plainsboro, Monroe, Franklin Park and Monroe.

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