Somerville Crews Assisted at Second-Alarm Fire in Franklin Township

Franklin Township, N.J. — November 6 — In the early hours of Friday, the Somerville Fire Department was mobilized for a second-alarm standby assignment in Franklin Township, a response triggered by a warehouse fire that demanded the deployment of multiple emergency units.

Around 4:38 a.m., Chief 57 and Engine 57-3 were dispatched to reinforce the fire suppression operations. Approximately one hour after the initial deployment, units from Somerville were mobilized to the incident scene to support firefighting crews in executing overhaul procedures.

Staff concentrated their resources on suppressing lingering hot spots and ascertaining the absence of any remaining fire within the structure. Engine 57-3, a 2010 KME Predator equipped with a 1,500-gallon-per-minute pump and a 750-gallon water tank, served as an essential mutual aid asset for the department.

Just prior to 4:00 a.m., a fire broke out at 245 Belmont Drive in Franklin Township, triggering a five-alarm response. The extinguishment of the fire presented a particularly formidable challenge, largely attributable to the presence of stored lithium-ion batteries within the structure. Fortunately, despite these complications, the incident yielded only minor injuries to two firefighters.

Somerville personnel remained on-site until approximately 7:40 a.m., after which they were authorized to withdraw and return to their standard responsibilities. Throughout the extended fireground operation, the response deployed additional personnel and resources, offering indispensable support to the departments charged with incident management.