Newton Police

Newton —At 8:54 a.m. on Aug. 9, the Newton police received a call from an alarm company reporting a fire at the Merriam Home located at 131 Main Street in Newton.  The Newton Police Department, Newton Fire Department and the Newton First Aid Squad responded to the scene. A fire suppression system had been activated in a bedroom. Damage from the fire, smoke and water was generally contained to that location.  Residents of the home, numbering approximately 20, were assisted out of the building by firefighters and police officers and temporarily relocated until it was determined by the Newton Fire Department that the building was safe. The residents were returned inside, shortly after midnight. The Andover Fire Department, the Fredon Fire Department, the Sparta Fire Department and the Hampton Fire Department also responded to the scene to provide mutual aid to the Newton Fire Department. Other departments assisting were the Newton Office of Emergency Management, detectives from the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey State Police Arson Unit.  The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental due to careless smoking or unattended candles. There were no injuries reported as a result of the fire.