Crime & Safety
Sprinkler System Contains Fire, Saves Building
Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire at Chatham Collision within two minutes of arriving on the scene.
A sprinkler system at Chatham Collision helped contain a fire that started Tuesday evening and kept the rest of the building from burning.
Steve Williams of the Chatham Borough Fire Department said, "the sprinkler system in this case activated. It didn't put out the fire, but it kept it [the fire] from spreading."
Firefighters extinguished the fire within two minutes of their arrival.
The call came in at about 7 p.m. Tuesday from 13 Center Place in Chatham Borough, at the intersection of Center Place and North Passaic Avenue where the Chatham Collision auto body shop is located.
The fire started in the paint booth, which uses extreme heat to dry fresh paint on cars.
"No one was in the building, they had all gone for the day," Williams said.
The Chatham Borough Police and Chatham Emergency Squad also responded to the scene, as did the Morris County Sheriff's Department and fire departments from the borough's mutual aid towns: Madison, Chatham Township and Florham Park.
No injuries were reported, and damage to the property was moderate. The shop is open as of Wednesday, but the paint booth is out of commission.
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