Fallen tree sparks fire that destroys 2 vehicles, cuts power to Cherry Hill high-rises

CHERRY HILL, N.J. (WPVI) -- A fallen tree brought down live power lines, sparking a fire that destroyed two vehicles, damaged a third and temporarily knocked out electricity to multiple high rise apartments Monday afternoon in Cherry Hill.

The Cherry Hill Fire Department said crews were dispatched at about 3:31 p.m. after receiving reports of a tree down on a vehicle with power lines also on the ground. Firefighters arrived to find two vehicles fully engulfed in flames.

Officials said the fallen tree ignited the fire after striking primary power lines. It was not immediately clear what caused the tree to fall, and fire officials said they could not definitively attribute it to the weather.

No injuries were reported.

Because the downed power lines remained energized, firefighters were unable to immediately extinguish the blaze. Instead, they waited about 90 minutes for utility crews to de-energize the lines before bringing the fire under control.

The incident left four high-rise apartment buildings without power, along with a nearby residential building and a senior living community, which operated on emergency power while crews worked to restore electricity.

Fire officials estimated power would return to the high-rise buildings within two to three hours, with service restored sooner to the other affected properties.

Residents described hearing a loud explosion before the lights went out.

"At about 3:30 we heard an explosion and the power surged," said resident Jonathan Walker.

"I saw the tree had fallen on the car and it was just fully engulfed," resident Jason Klink added. "Scary. Absolutely crazy. I've never seen something like that so close to my home."

With the buildings without electricity during the summer heat, Klink said residents worried about the conditions inside their apartments.

"It's getting hot in there, especially we're on the back side of the building where the sun is setting," he said. "It's just completely hot in there and we have pets."

Among those affected was Air Force veteran Andre Dossantos, whose vehicle sustained damage from the fire. He said the car is essential because he uses it to drive his wife to chemotherapy treatments in New York.

"I need the car for my wife," Dossantos said. "She's going through chemo cancer treatments, so we go up to New York for that."

Dossantos said bystanders stopped him from approaching the vehicle because of the live electrical wires.

"I got down here before there was a fire and I was running to the car, and there were electric lines and everyone was like, 'Don't go near the car,'" he said.

Although his vehicle was damaged, Dossantos was able to move it to another parking space after the scene was made safe. He said he hopes the damage is repairable.

"Hopefully it's not too bad where I can still at least get around," he said.