ANDOVER, N.J. (Sussex County) — A vehicle crashed into the Shell gas station on Main Street in Andover Monday afternoon, sparking a fire that spread to the gas pumps and building before being quickly brought under control, authorities said.
According to a post on the Andover Borough Fire Department’s Facebook page, dispatch received multiple 911 calls around 3:43 p.m. on Nov. 10 reporting a vehicle on fire near the gas pumps with possible entrapment. Crews arrived within minutes and found heavy flames involving the vehicle and parts of the building.
Bystanders pulled the driver from the car before first responders arrived, and the individual was safely removed from harm, officials said. Fire crews acted quickly to extinguish the blaze and stop it from spreading further into the building.
The fire also caused a fuel leak that began running down Route 206, which firefighters worked to contain while conducting overhaul operations.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known, and no additional details about the driver’s condition were released.
Authorities thanked the quick-thinking bystanders and station employees for their decisive actions.
“Thank you to the bystanders who got the driver out of the vehicle and the alert employees who shut down the pumps immediately after,” officials said in a statement.
Multiple agencies assisted in the response, including the Andover Township Police and Fire Departments, Byram Township Police and Fire, Green Township Fire Department, Newton Volunteer Fire Department, Lakeland Emergency Squad, NJ Forest Fire Service, New Jersey State Police, NJ Department of Transportation, NJ Department of Environmental Protection, Sussex County Hazmat, and the Sussex County Fire Marshal’s Office.
Officials said the coordinated effort prevented what could have been a catastrophic outcome.
