Hopewell Township house badly damaged by blaze

Chief George Meyer said fanning action of a lawnmower might have ignited already smoldering mulch

By John Tredrea
   Police say smoldering mulch ignited by the fanning action of a landscaper’s lawnmower may have been the cause of an April 20 fire that heavily damaged an upscale Hopewell Township residence.
   No one was injured in the fire, and two dogs inside the house were saved. The residence, owned by David and Patricia Haggerty, who were not home when the fire occurred, sustained smoke and water damage.
   The Haggertys, who have insurance, are unable to live in their home and for the time being are living elsewhere, according to Hopewell Township police Chief George Meyer.
   Due to high winds, the fire quickly spread to shrubbery and the house after the mulch began to burn. As a result of prolonged lack of rain before the fire, the shrubbery was very dry and burned rapidly, police said.
   Chief Meyer said Monday that investigators at the 2 Fox Run residence the day after the fire "actually witnessed spontaneous combustion" of mulch in an area of the property other than the one in which the fire originated.
   The chief said the fanning action of a lawnmower, operated by township landscape contractor Richard Lafferty, might have ignited already smoldering mulch. After the fire started, Mr. Lafferty tried to put it out with a garden hose was unable to do so. The investigation of the fire is continuing.
   Chief Meyer said a 9-1-1 call was received at 1:34 p.m. from a resident of Fox Run Road, who said a lawn mower and the lawn of the Haggerty house were on fire. The Pennington Fire Company and Hopewell Fire Department were dispatched.
   "Soon it was learned from the caller that the fire had spread to the side of the house," the chief said. "Due to the windy conditions, the fire very quickly spread up the side of the home and entered into the attic area above the end room of the home."
   Firefighters from Pennington and Hopewell were assisted by Lawrenceville, Lawrence Road and Pennington Road as well as the Hopewell Valley Emergency Services. "They fought the fire holding it to the attic and one second-floor bedroom," the chief said. "Unfortunately the entire second floor of the home suffered smoke damage, parts of the second floor, first floor suffered as well as the basement suffered water damage."
   Investigators learned the fire started as Mr. Lafferty mowed along the edge of some shrubbery on the west side of the house. The wind quickly spread the fire to the house’s exterior wall and then into the attic.
   Township Patrolman Christopher Kascik and Detective Kevin Zorn, along with Fire Official Matthew Martin of the Hopewell Valley Bureau of Fire Safety and Assistant Mercer County Fire Marshall Kevin Brink, are investigating the fire.