Firefighters not only battled flames but high winds overnight in South Jersey.
Flames broke out at a home converted into apartments along the 100 block of Cedar Street in Millville, Cumberland County around 2:30 a.m. Thursday.
Heavy smoke and flames poured from the home when crews arrived on the scene, reported NBC40.net. The fire quickly spread to two alarms.
No one was hurt but one woman was unaccounted for following the blaze.
"We have one resident unaccounted for," said Millville Fire Chief Kurt Hess. "She's an older female. Some of the residents tell us they haven't seen her for a couple days."
Firefighters later located the woman, who was at work at the time of the fire.
Hess said the home, which was divided into four apartments, possibly housed up to 10 total residents. The American Red Cross assisted those people.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
A Wind Advisory was in effect in the area as winds gusted near 40 mph as firefighters battled the flames. Wind chills even dropped into the single digits.
Those heavy winds fanned the flames causing thick smoke to rise almost sideways from the burning home.
"When you have strong winds like you have our streams aren't effective so we had to battle that," said Hess.
It took firefighters nearly two hours to bring the blaze under control.
The cause of the blaze remained under investigation Thursday morning but Hess said a pot left on the stove possibly caused the blaze.
Hess said Cedar would remained closed through the morning as firefighters test the stability of the home and get in road crews to salt the roadway.
