Extension Cord Short Caused Condo Fire, Chief Says

A shorted-out extension cord started the fire in a Heritage Court condo that forced residents to flee their homes and left the unit where the fire started uninhabitable, Towaco's fire chief said Friday.

The extension cord was supplying power to a refrigerator in the first-floor unit's utility room when it shorted out and started the fire around midnight Wednesday, Towaco Fire Chief Ken Breeman said .

Smoke detectors in the condo "did their job" and went off, which alerted the sleeping family, he said.

The utility room sustained heavy fire damage and the rest of the home sustained heavy smoke damage. A unit above where the fire started had moderate smoke damage, but residents still can live there, Breeman said.

The Towaco Fire Department received a call about the fire at 12:07 a.m. Thursday and Towaco quickly called for mutual aid from Montville and Pine Brook fire departments because the fire was in a building with multiple units that are connected and needed to be evacuated.

Firefighters contained the blaze to the utility room. The building did not sustain structural damage, the chief said.

Breeman said extension cords shouldn't be used to power appliances.