VERNON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Sussex County) — A Thanksgiving night fire damaged a condo unit in the Great Gorge complex but was quickly brought under control, according to the McAfee Fire Department.
The four Vernon Township fire departments were dispatched around 7:50 p.m. Thursday for a reported structure fire. McAfee Fire Chief 2 arrived to find the rear corner of a unit, near the chimney, on fire and immediately requested a second alarm, bringing mutual aid companies to the scene.
There were initial conflicting reports of someone still inside the affected unit, but those concerns were resolved once the chief accounted for all occupants safely outside, the department said.
As fire crews arrived, they were able to extinguish the blaze before it spread further into the building. The chimney at the corner of the structure collapsed due to fire damage, but no firefighters or residents were injured. Other units in the building sustained no major damage aside from smoke odor.
The American Red Cross responded to assist displaced residents. All units cleared the scene at approximately 9:45 p.m.
The cause of the fire was not immediately released.
