Fire Damages Howell Businesses

HOWELL, NJ — A large structure fire forced police to shut down Squankum Yellowbrook Road in Howell early Thursday morning.

Howell Township police closed the road around 3 a.m. to battle the blaze.

Howell police said all five Howell Township fire companies — Squankum, Adelphia, Freewood Acres, Southard and Ramtown — along with firefighters from Farmingdale battled the blaze at 673 Squankum Yellowbrook Road.

News 12 New Jersey reported the fire started about 2 a.m. and destroyed at least one business, an auto body shop, in the building.

The building, a chicken coop that was converted to businesses, is on a property with a home, but the building was set back well away from the house, according to images on Google Maps.

Assemblyman Ned Thomson posted a note to Facebook praising the work by firefighters "in responding to and containing this early morning fire."

"Clean up efforts are still underway at Squankum-Yellowbrook Road in the Adelphia section of town, so please try and avoid this area if possible," he wrote.