West Milford Apartment Fire Caused By Computer Batteries: Fire Marshal

WEST MILFORD, NJ - A residential fire in West Milford last week was reportedly caused by malfunctioning laptop batteries, authorities said.

The fire at 30 George Street was reported at around 4 p.m., the West Milford Fire Marshals Office, which investigated the incident, said in a statement.

“The occupants came home finding severe heat and smoke damage on the second floor,” authorities said. “The fire was classified as accidental caused by a failure of lithium ion batteries in a laptop computer.”

No injuries were reported as a result of the incident.

“We remind residents to use caution when charging devices [with] lithium ion batteries,” the office later said. “Devices should not be left unattended while charging. Devices should never be left on beds, chairs, sofas, while charging.”