Franklin Park apartments fire displaces 12

FRANKLIN (Somerset) – Twelve residents are displaced after a two-alarm fire at an apartment building on Regency Drive in the Franklin Park section of the township on Monday.

Firefighters from the Franklin Park Fire Department and Griggstown Fire Company responded around 7:04 p.m. Monday on reports of a balcony fire where they reported heavy smoke and fire in a unit on the second floor of a wood-framed apartment building housing 24 units, Franklin Park Fire Department Chief Eric Murnieks said.

All residents evacuated safely with no injuries.

Firefighters brought the blaze under control in 40 minutes with the help of 60 firefighters but not before it broke through the roof of two apartments, Murnieks said.

Firefighters from Franklin Park, Griggstown, Little Rocky Hill, Kendall Park, North Brunswick, Somerset, Middlebush and Millstone Valley responded.

The block of four units sustained fire, water and smoke damage and is uninhabitable, displacing 12 residents, Murnieks said.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Email: alewis@gannett.com

Alexander Lewis is an award-winning reporter and photojournalist whose work spans many topics. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. Sign up today for a digital subscription.