Fire destroys garage, shed in Morris Township
A Saturday afternoon fire destroyed this garage and shed on Minton Run Road in Morris Township.
Firefighters work to extinguish a Saturday afternoon fire that destroyed this garage and shed on Minton Run Road in Morris Township.
Firefighters battled a quickly spreading fire Saturday afternoon in Morris Township.
Township fire Chief Dave Dietrich said the fire started in a burn pit on a property on Minton Run Road. The fire quickly spread to a nearby shed and two-car garage that was attached to the house.
“They were cleaning up and burning papers in a burn pit,” Dietrich said. “The papers got into the dry leaves, which spread to the shed and the two-car garage.”
His department was dispatched about 2:10 p.m. to the home that was occupied by a husband and wife. The woman was in the house and the man was at a neighbor’s house. Dietrich did not provide their names or their address.
“She had heard some crackling and popping,” Dietrich said. “When she looked out to see what it was, the whole shed was fully involved.”
The shed and the garage, which were only about six feet away from the burn pit, were destroyed, and about an acre of brush in the woods also caught fire. The house, which was insured, had “very minimal damage,” Dietrich said.
“Those guys made one heck of a good stop on it, and the bulk of the damage was contained to the garage,” Dietrich said. “We pretty much saved the house and all the contents. We had some pretty good help.”
Firefighters from South Franklin, Amwell, Lone Pine and Canton assisted Morris Township at the scene until about 5 p.m., Dietrich said.
“We set up a tanker shuttle because we don’t have a hydrant in that part of the township,” he said.
EMS workers from Ambulance & Chair treated the homeowner for smoke inhalation and a burn to his arm, Dietrich said. No other injuries were reported.
Dietrich warned other residents to use caution when burning anything in this weather, “as dry as it is, with the leaves all over and the lack of rain.”
“Be very careful, and do not leave anything unattended,” he said. “Once those dry leaves catch, especially if you add a little bit of wind, it just goes.”