WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Sept. 7, 2025) — Fire crews in Washington Township responded to a bedroom fire in the Schooley’s Mountain section of town several weeks ago, finding heavy damage contained to a single room, officials said.

The call came in shortly after 5 p.m. for a reported fire in a two-story frame home that had been renovated within the past year and a half. Police officers who arrived first reported the flames were already out.

Firefighters entered to find a strong odor of smoke, melted detectors on the floor and significant damage to a king-size bed in the second-floor master bedroom. The room’s interior windowpanes were blown out, though the outer glass remained intact.

Thermal imaging and inspection of recessed lighting and HVAC ducts showed no fire spread beyond the bedroom.

Investigators determined the fire started from a power strip left on the bed with several electronic devices charging, according to officials.