There were no injuries in the fire at the 184-unit five-story building, a statement from Kevin C. Batzel, chief of the Brick Township Bureau of Fire Safety said.
Brick Township emergency dispatch received an alert about a waterflow activation at the apartment complex at 3:47 p.m. and first responders found an active fire in a second-floor apartment, Batzel said.
The fire happened in a hamper in a bedroom and the fire sprinkler head in the bedroom activated, dousing the flames, and firefighters confirmed the fire was under control within minutes of their arrival, then made quick work of smoke that lingered, he said.
The fire was contained to that room with some minor water and smoke damage to that apartment and apartments on either side and on the first floor, Batzel said.
Residents of all of the apartments except those that suffered damage were able to return to normal within hours, Batzel said.
“The bureau would like to thank the quick response of all the Brick Township fire departments, our mutual aid companies, Brick Township Police, Brick EMS and Townshipo Emergency Management for their quick response,” the statement said.
“It should be noted that the working fire sprinkler system and smoke alarms activation kept damage to a minimum in conjunction with the quick fire department response,” Batzel said. “Working alarms and the presence of fire sprinklers are imperative to fire and life safety and no doubt kept the fire small and controllable with minimal disruption to the building.”
Fire Chiefs Joe Licandro and Tom Bisbal of Fire District 1 were in control at the scene, and inspectors Joseph Sansone and Paul Matula from the fire bureau investigated.
