A Madison Avenue house was destroyed by an early morning fire, according to the Hopewell Township Police Department.
A neighbor reported smoke in the area and police were dispatched to investigate it at 1:33 a.m. Nov. 25. When police officers arrived, they found the house fully involved in flames. The house was unoccupied.
When the Pennington Fire Department firefighters arrived at the scene, the decision was made to strike a first alarm, according to the Pennington Fire Department’s Facebook page. A second alarm for water tankers was requested.
Due to the heavy fire conditions, firefighters battled the blaze from outside of the house, the Facebook post said. The fire operations were defensive because of the building integrity and the volume of fire. Firefighters did not enter the house.
The Pennington Fire Department was assisted by the Hopewell Fire Department, the Union Fire Company, the Lawrenceville Fire Company, the Lower Makefield (Pa.) Fire Department and the West Trenton Fire Department, police said.
The Hopewell Valley Emergency Services and the Pennington First Aid Squad also responded, police said.
The source of the fire, which caused extensive damage to the house, is under investigation by the Hopewell Township Police Department, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and Hopewell Valley Emergency Services.