Full Notification

Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns, III announced that The Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Investigation Unit responded to a reported house fire on Tunis Cox Road in Readington Township today.
According to Prosecutor Kearns, “The homeowner had a contractor working in the attic early this morning. After about 20 minutes, the contractor advised the homeowner of a smell of smoke in the attic on the opposite side of the dwelling from where he was working. The homeowner turned off the electrical main to the residence and called 9-1-1. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to a small area of the attic.”
HCPO Detectives responded and determined that the origin of the fire was in the attic directly above a recessed kitchen light. The homeowner also had a series of extension cords with drop lights strung around his attic. One of these drop lights was also in the immediate vicinity of the fire’s origin. The exact cause was listed as undetermined by investigators.
The Prosecutor explained, “Because this fire is not considered suspicious, the investigation was turned over to investigators from the homeowner’s insurance company to determine the exact cause of the fire.”
The contractor was transported to Hunterdon Medical Center, treated for smoke inhalation, and released.