Structure Fire in The Cedars Takes Home

A home in The Cedars at Basking Ridge caught fire this morning, prompting five fire companies to respond in the area.

The fire started in the basement of the house on 2 Magnolia Path around 7:30 a.m. prompting a call to the Liberty Corner Fire Company. First Assistant Chief Marc Friedman responded to the scene and called in backup from the Veteran's Affairs fire company, located across the street from the burning home. The Basking Ridge, Bernardsville and Martinsville fire companies also responded.

Friedman said that firefighters entered the house to try to extinguish the fire when it was in the basement but eventually were forced to pull out. "[The flames] were pretty bad," Friedman said. "After about a half an hour we had to leave the building because there was no integrity left in the floors."

"[The fire] spread everywhere," Friedman said. "What happened was eventually the main floor caved into the basement and once that happens its one big open space; in some areas it's hard for us to get to."

No one was hurt in the fire, including the residents Ed and Lea Schmall, and the damage was contained to one home except for some water damage to an adjacent unit's basement.

Friedman said, "We managed to salvage some of the personal goods of the home owners," but he said there was not much left inside the home. "We had five different fire companies there attacking it from all directions. We thought we had it out a couple of times but obviously there were still hidden pockets."