Cigarette Left On Windowsill Caused Goodwill Fire: Brick Chief

BRICK, NJ — A fire that caused minor damage at the Goodwill store on Brick Boulevard Thursday has Brick Township's fire safety director warning people to exercise more care when discarding cigarettes.

"We have had several fires lately that were caused by improperly discarded smoking materials," Kevin Batzel, director of the Brick Fire Safety Bureau, said Friday. Some of those fires were caused by people falling asleep with lit cigarettes, some were caused by cigarette butts tossed out car windows or into mulch, he said.

Thursday's fire was caused when someone attempted to put out a cigarette on the window sill of the display window at the front of the Goodwill store, 451 Brick Boulevard, but did not completely extinguish it and left it sitting, Batzel said.

Employees smelled smoke and the store manager reported the fire about 3:50 p.m., Batzel said, evacuating the store and making sure all of the employees and customers were away from the store "so the fire companies could do their job."

"We commend the store management for that," he said.

Because it was a commercial fire, all four township fire companies responded and Silverton Volunteer Fire Company in Toms River and the Mantoloking Fire Company provided coverage, Batzel said. Breton Woods Fire Chief Thomas Bisbal oversaw the scene. Brick Township police and Brick Police EMS also responded, Batzel said.

The fire was contained to the outside display window and there was no damage to the interior of the building, he said. The fire was extinguished quickly and employees allowed to return to the store by 4:30 p.m.

If you are smoking, please be sure to fully extinguish smoking materials, Batzel said, whether that means using an ashtray, using a smoker's stand outside a business, or other means, and don't smoke in bed or when you're at risk of falling asleep with smoking materials that are still burning.

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