A construction crew working on a Robin Hood Road home in Summit called 911 to report an attic fire on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
The crew reported the fire at about 8:50 a.m., and the Summit Fire Department arrived at 8:55 a.m. to find an active blaze in the attic, Patch reported. No residents were inside the home at the time.
Firefighters declared the fire under control at 9:34 a.m., about 44 minutes after the initial call. The fire caused minor damage to the home, and no injuries were reported.
The Millburn and Springfield fire departments responded to the scene under mutual aid, along with the Summit Police Department and the Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad. Off-duty Summit firefighters were called in during the response to cover other emergency calls across the city.
The Union County Fire Investigation Task Force is investigating the cause of the fire.
The Robin Hood Road blaze is the second Summit attic fire to draw a multi-agency response since an Aug. 20 fire on Kent Place Boulevard. In that incident, a possible lightning strike ignited a fire in the attic of a multi-apartment home, forcing the evacuation of nine residents, three cats and one dog. No injuries were reported, and the same group of mutual aid agencies responded.
Summit Fire Chief Brian Harnois said after the August fire that all on-duty personnel had already been responding to storm-related calls when the Kent Place Boulevard report came in. "I want to commend our crews for their quick and thorough efforts to safely evacuate all residents from the building and place the fire under control," Harnois said at the time.
No official statement from the department about the Robin Hood Road fire has been released as of publication.
Residents who see signs of a fire should call 911. The Summit Fire Department can be reached at (908) 277-1033 for non-emergency inquiries.
