Early morning fire at Allstate Insurance building in Toms River ruled accidental
An early morning fire damaged the Allstate Insurance building in Toms River. (Photo: Toms River Police Department)
A fire that damaged an insurance company building in Toms River early Saturday morning has been ruled accidental, authorities said.
Police and firefighters responded to the Allstate Insurance building at 1520 Route 37 at 2:59 a.m., said Ralph Stocco, a spokesman for the Toms River Police Department.
Flames were visible from the southwest window of the building’s first floor and soon spread to the second floor, Stocco said.
Fire units from East Dover, Toms River Company #1 and #2, and Island Heights responded and brought the blaze under control at 5:25 a.m., according to Stocco.
The fire response was coordinated by Incident Commander, Chief Edward Storino, Stocco said. There were no injuries, he added.
Investigators have ruled the fire accidental and are checking on the possible failure of energized electrical equipment in a first-floor office, James Mercready, director of the Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention, told the Asbury Park Press.
Toms River Detective Thomas DiMichele conducted the investigation along with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Unit and the Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention, officials said.
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