1 Injured In Morris County House Fire

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — One person was injured in a structure fire in Morris County on Saturday afternoon, authorities said.

The fire was reported shortly after 2 p.m. on Saturday when the fire department received a call about a residential structure fire with a suspected explosion on Minnisink Road in Lake Hopatcong.

According to a post on the Jefferson Township Fire Company's Facebook page, when Jefferson Township Fire Chief Jenkins arrived at the scene, he immediately requested a second-alarm dispatch.

The fire expanded swiftly inside the residence while fully engulfing the back deck.

"At one point, when crews were working both in and outside, we decided to sound the alarm to pull everyone out and regroup," Jenkins said.

The ladder truck from the Picatinny Fire Department was deployed to help make a hole for ventilation and eventually blitz the attic. According to officials, blitzing the attic assisted fire workers in getting back inside and extinguishing the remaining flames.

"The fire took roughly 30 minutes to get knocked down after it jumped around a bit from its balloon construction. Another couple hours were needed to overhaul and extinguish many hot spots," the Jefferson Township Fire Company said.

The fire is still under official investigation by the Jefferson Township Police Department, the Jefferson Township Fire Bureau and the Morris County Sheriff’s Office.