Fire Leaves Hopewell Home Uninhabitable

Just before 10 a.m., the Hopewell Township Police Department and the Hopewell Fire
Department responded to a Route 518 address located between Route 579 and New
Road for a reported structure fire.

A police officer observed flames and smoke coming from the exterior of the chimney of the house. The two occupants of the house were outside when the officer arrived. The adult male and the adult female had been burning a fire in their stove when the fire breached the chimney and extended into the residence. There were no reported injuries.

The residence was deemed uninhabitable and the residents were being assisted by
the Red Cross and The Hopewell Township Health Department.
The fire does not seem suspicious in nature and is believed to have originated from
wood burning stove inside the house, police said. This incident remains under investigation by the Hopewell Township Police Department and Hopewell Valley Emergency Services.

Responding agencies included the Pennington Fire Department, Union Fire Company, West Amwell Fire Department, and Hopewell Valley Emergency Services.