pA Tuesday evening fire occurring at the five-story Highland Plaza complex located at 91 Highland Parkway caused significant damage to one of the apartment units. The fire was reported at 630 p.m. and also caused the buildings fire alarm system to activate. Toms River Fire Companies 1 amp 2 responded and found a working kitchen fire in apartment 5B2. Firefighters under the direction of Toms River Fire Company 2 Cspan classtextexposedhide…spanspan classtextexposedshowhief Patrick Beebe utilized the buildings fire standpipe system to attack and suppress the fire which was contained to the kitchen area of the affected unit.br Firefighters encountered a heavy smoke condition on the 5th floor which prompted an orderly evacuation of residents from the 5th floor. Firefighters were able to quickly suppress the fire and ventilate smoke from the building. Firefighters also conducted salvage and overhaul operations with no other apartments suffering any fire damage.br Toms River EMS triaged a total of 31 patients with three patients needing EMS attention. Also responding to the scene were the East Dover Silverton and Pleasant Plains fire companies for assistance. The Pine Beach and Manitou Park fire companies provided coverage to the two downtown fire stations during fire suppression operations.br Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention Inspector Kieran Flynn conducted the fire cause and origin investigation and has determined that an accidental fire occurred as the result of cooking oil used to cook French fries ignited on the stovetop in apartment 5B2. As a result of the fire the apartment was posted as unsafe until repairs are made to the unit. The building was allowed to be reoccupied at the conclusion of fire suppression operations with the exception of apartment 5B2.br The fire alarm system was serviced and restored to normal operation after the fire and a disaster mitigation service was cleaning the building from subsequent water and smoke damage immediately after the fire.spanp
