Large fire destroys dozens of units at storage facility in Cape May Court House, New Jersey - CBS Philadelphia

By Alexandra Simon, Ryan Hughes

Updated on: February 20, 2025 / 4:29 AM EST / CBS Philadelphia

A large that broke out at a storage facility in Cape May Court House, New Jersey damaged dozens of units, police said Wednesday.

Middle Township Police Chief Tracey Super said the fire began around 8:50 a.m. at Burleigh Storage on Shunpike Road near Indian Trail Road. Super said an officer was on patrol when someone alerted him to the blaze. When the officer got to the building, it was fully engulfed.

Video on social media showed thick black smoke billowing from the building, and in one video shared on X, what appears to be fireworks were seen shooting from the roof along with the flames.

"It was pretty wild, something we don't see every day here," said Phil Swetsky, who owns CPS Marine boat yard next door. "It happened pretty quick. It caught on fire and was burning pretty hot right away."

In total, police said the fire damaged more than 50 units and one person was taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Super said tanker trucks were used to bring in water to fight the fire, which was made more difficult due to winds and the overall size of the blaze.

"The wind was really gusting when the fire was going on, and we were dealing with some small fires across the street in the wooded area, but they were able to be maintained quite quickly," Super said.

The Cape May County Fire Marshal is now working with Middle Township Police, the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office and New Jersey State Fire Marshal's Office to determine what caused the fire.

Alexandra Simon is a digital content producer at CBS Philadelphia. Alex started her career at CBS21 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania before joining KARE 11 News in Minneapolis, where she covered breaking news, features and often cold weather.