A Stony Brook Road home was destroyed by a fire that may have been sparked when the homeowner attempted to repair a portable generator next to the house Monday afternoon, according to the Hopewell Township Police Department.
The fire was initially reported around 2:34 p.m. when a neighbor called 911 to report it, police said. The homeowners were outside of the house, which was fully engulfed in flames when police and firefighters arrived.
The fire was brought under control at about 3:15 p.m., police said. Firefighters from the Hopewell Fire Department, as well as firefighters from Pennington Borough and Lawrence, Ewing and Montgomery townships, battled the blaze.
The Hopewell Valley Emergency Services, the Hopewell First Aid Squad and water tankers from multiple agencies also responded to the fire on Stony Brook Road, north of Route 518, police said.
The house suffered significant fire damage, as well as heat, smoke and water damage throughout. It was deemed uninhabitable.
It is believed that the portable generator, which was not in use at the time, caught fire as the homeowner was trying to fix it in advance of another snowstorm expected this week, police said. Windy conditions may have contributed to spreading the flames to the house.
Police Detective Alexis Mirra of the Hopewell Township Police Department and Fire Official Andy Fosina and Specialist Ashley Coble of the Hopewell Valley Emergency Services are investigating the cause of the fire.
