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FLORENCE: Warehouse fire extinguished

Firefighters battled a two-alarm blaze at the 730,000-square-foot warehouse inside an industrial park Saturday afternoon, according to officials.

by Amy Batista, Special Writer
FLORENCE — Firefighters battled a two-alarm blaze at the 730,000-square-foot warehouse inside an industrial park Saturday afternoon, according to officials.
   The fire broke out at 270 Daniels Way at approximately 2:27 p.m. on Nov. 30.
   ”It was determined that the fire was accidental,” Police Chief Alvin Scully said.
   The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Florence Township Fire Marshal’s office along with the Burlington County Fire Marshal’s Office, and representatives of the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety.
   ”Burlington County communications received a call from a caller who was reporting that there was smoke coming from the rooftop of the Christmas Tree Shop on Daniels Way,” Chief Scully wrote on Monday in an email.
   No injuries were reported, police said.
   ”Officers responded to the area and did verify that there was heavy smoke coming from the roof of the building and the fire department and EMS arrived shortly thereafter,” Chief Scully said.
   The warehouse had “fire coming from the roof,” said Fire Marshal Brian Richardson of the Florence Township Fire Department on Tuesday.
   ”We laddered the building and we saw a roof fire in the area of a solar array,” said Fire Marshal Richardson.
   Upon arriving at the scene and finding no fire in the warehouse itself, crews were sent to the roof where they encountered heavy fire conditions, involving multiple arrays of active solar panels, according to the Florence Township Fire Department Facebook Page
   ”We made an initial attack with an inch and three-quarter hose line,” Fire Marshal Richardson said.
   The Burlington County Foam Task Force arrived to finish extinguishing the fire, which was under control by 5:30 p.m., according to officials.
   Solar panels on top of buildings present a challenge for firefighters, he acknowledged.
   ”They present a new challenge for us,” he said. “It’s not something that we normally deal with, but this installation was very well set up for it. The individual sub-rays were separated by enough distance that the fire in one array would separate it from the other arrays and we had room to work.”
   ”The whole roof wasn’t one giant array, which made it much easier for us to operate in the array, which is energized,” he said.
   In September, Florence Township firefighters were among many who responded to a 12-alarm fire that tore through the five-story Dietz & Watson distribution center in Delanco.
   Firefighters reporting to the fire faced the threat of electrocution from solar panels on the roof that collapsed.
   In addition to no injuries, officials said due to the efforts of firefighters, actual property loss was limited.
   Cinnaminson, Burlington Township, Burlington City, Bordentown Township, Eastampton, Mount Laurel, Riverside, Delran, Riverton, Pemberton, Willingboro, Lumberton, Moorestown and Jacobstown fire departments responded.
   Also responding was the Westampton Township Emergency Services.