February 6, 2022
HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP – Flames consumed a large building belonging to a landscaping business early Sunday morning (Feb. 6). All Hopewell Valley volunteer fire companies – Pennington, Hopewell and Union-Titusville – were dispatched about 1:57 a.m. for a reported structure fire. Pennington Fire Chief Jim DeForte arrived to find a working fire involving a storage building and several vehicles located behind a residence in the 1500 block of Reed Road, near Diverty Road. He requested the balance of the first alarm be dispatched, resulting in mutual aid resources being sent to the scene from Ewing Township’s career staff and West Trenton Volunteer Fire Co. and Lawrenceville Volunteer Fire Co. from Lawrence Township. An engine and aerial apparatus were positioned behind the residence, with water supplied via large diameter hose laid down the driveway from a hydrant on the opposite side of Reed Road. The aerial was raised and its master stream placed in service. Water was also flowed from several handlines. The blaze was declared under control at 2:37 a.m. The Signal 22 canteen unit from Trenton also responded to the scene to provide drinks and other refreshments to the wet and weary firefighters. The temperature at 3 a.m., as crews continued to overhaul the smoldering ruins, was 16 degrees Fahrenheit. The cause of the blaze was under investigation by Hopewell Township police and the township fire marshal’s office.
