Firefighters battle fire at apartment complex in Pine Hill, NJ

Firefighters battled an early morning fire at an apartment complex in Pine Hill, New Jersey.

The fire started on Friday, Dec. 12, around 3:45 a.m. at a two-story apartment building on the 200 block of West Branch Avenue. A family of five people were sleeping in the bottom floor of the building at the time but were able to safely evacuate, according to Pine Hill Battalion Chief Salvatore S. Pizzo.

“I believe the Pine Hill Police Department were the first ones to make entry or contact them and get them out of the units,” Battalion Chief Pizzo said.

The residents who live on the top floor were not home at the time.

Firefighters were able to bring the flames under control shortly before 5:15 a.m. The damage was confined to the two-story building and no injuries were reported. Battalion Chief Pizzo said other units at the complex had smoke and carbon monoxide issues that firefighters were “able to mitigate.” Those residents were eventually allowed back inside.

Nikole Macon, who has lived at the complex for 26 years, told NBC10 she believes the fire was intentionally set.

“To my understanding somebody tried to set the fire,” she said. “And I don’t know what happened with that but why are you doing that to somebody? And it’s late, the wee hours of the morning so what if they didn’t make it? Or what if nobody didn’t call the cops or whatever the case might be? The whole 900 building could’ve been up in flames.”

Battalion Chief Pizzo told NBC10 they have not determined the cause of the fire or if it was arson, however.

“We don’t know at this point. It’s still under investigation by the Fire Marshal’s Office,” he said. “So we’re unable to tell at this time.”

The Red Cross is working with the displaced residents.