Fire – On Tuesday, April 24, 2018, at 6:39 a.m., the Lacey Township Police Department received a report of a fire alarm activation at the Lacey Township Middle School, 660 Denton Avenue in Forked River, NJ. Upon arrival, a small fire was located in a second floor (science classroom) which activated the fire sprinkler system in that classroom. It appeared that the fire may have started in a terrarium within the classroom. The Forked River Fire Department along with the Lanoka Harbor Fire Department extinguished the remainder of the fire, which was isolated to a small portion of the classroom. Minimal fire and smoke damage was reported, however as a result of the sprinkler system activation, there was a significant amount of water in the classroom and the surrounding areas that needed to be cleaned. No students were present at the school at the time of the fire.
All of the middle school students and faculty had to be diverted to the Lacey Township High School where the teachers and staff were awaiting their arrival. The middle school students will be having an early dismissal today and will be bused or picked up by their parents or guardians from the Lacey Township High School.
The Ocean County Sheriff’s Department along with the Berkeley Township Police and Berkeley Township Fire Department provided assistance.