On July 31, a fire at Access Self Storage in Woodbridge, N.J., consumed eight storage units and demanded the efforts of 84 firefighters before it was quenched. The cause of the fire was undetermined, and tenants forbidden access to their units until the investigation is complete.
The Access facility requires tenants to sign an agreement that prohibits the storage of certain items, including non-water-based paints, firearms, illegal items, "gas under pressure" and all other flammables. But in addition to common household items, firefighters found in the wreckage an oxygen cylinder, acetylene, a propane tank and paint thinner, said David Papi, director of the Middlesex County Public Health Department. According to Deidra Zolinski, the storage companys vice president of operations, people who violate terms of the lease by storing items on the prohibited list are liable for damage.
The fire was reported at 10:20 a.m. Two units were in flames when firefighters first arrived. Eventually, eight were consumed, and water was poured into surrounding units to halt the spread of the blaze.
Access Self Storage has 12 facilities in New Jersey and two in New York. There are about 1,300 units in the Woodbridge facility.