WANTAGE — Three people in a home escaped a fire that started around a wood stove early this morning, said a fire official.
The blaze started about 3:15 a.m. and incinerated much of the house around the fireplace, said Joseph Inga, Sussex County’s fire marshal.
But three occupants of the single-family home escaped unharmed and called for help, Inga says.
Three volunteer fire departments from the area – Wantage, Sussex Borough and Montague – responded to the scene and brought the fire under control within a half hour, Inga said.
Three other volunteer fire departments covered the area while the other firefighters were battling the blaze.
The damage was limited to the area around the fireplace – and much of the rest of the house had limited if any damage, Inga said. He said the fire was accidental — and it could have spread much further if not caught as early as it was.
“It could have been a heck of a lot worse,” the fire marshal said.