Lakewood, NJ – Pallet on fire at warehouse contained thanks to fire sprinkler; No injuries reported

A sprinkler system kept a fireĀ in a Prospect Street warehouse Thursday night from growing into a much larger blaze, the fire chief said.

Fire crews were called at 10:54 p.m. and found a pallet full of cardboard boxes on fire, Lakewood Fire Chief Mike D’Elia, Jr. said.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze within a matter of minutes, D’Elia said.

There was no one inside the warehouse at the time and no injuries were reported.

The chief said investigators indicated batteries in a Bluetooth device likely started the fire.

A sprinkler directly above the fire activated and kept the fire “at bay,” D’Elia said. The damage was contained to the boxes on one pallet.

He estimated that had the sprinklers not activated, about a quarter of the items in the warehouse would have been in flames by the time firefighters arrived.

“It did it’s job,” D’Elia said of the sprinkler system.