The fire left the building little more than a charred shell. (Video and photos courtesy of Dan Robinson/Dansdroneshots609)
A massive fire that destroyed a public storage facility Wednesday in Middle Township was started by a man who was burning cardboard to keep warm, authorities said.
Middle Township police announced Thursday that they have charged Salvatore Gellura, of Green Creek, with arson and making a false report to investigators in connection with the fire at the Burleigh Mini Storage site.
The investigation revealed that Gellura was working in his storage unit and lit some cardboard in a metal container to keep warm, police said in a news release.
“A short time later, the fire spread beyond the container and Gellura was unable to control it,” according to the release.
Gellura was charged and taken to the Cape May County Correctional Facility.
An investigation was conducted by the Middle Township Police Department Major Crimes Unit, Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, Cape May County Fire Marshal’s Office and the New Jersey State Fire Marshal’s Office.
The raging fire started Wednesday morning in the township’s Burleigh section on Shunpike Road near Indian Trail Road. Police found several units of the storage building engulfed in flames when they arrived at about 8:50 a.m.
Fire department personnel were immediately dispatched to the scene. One unidentified person was transported to Cooper Medical Center in Camden for treatment of smoke inhalation.
Helping to battle the blaze were the Cape May Court House Fire Department, Green Creek Fire Department, Rio Grande Fire Department, Stone Harbor Fire Department, Ocean View Fire Department, Goshen Fire Department, Erma Fire Department and Dennis Township Fire Department.
The massive fire tears through the building. (Video and photos courtesy of Dan Robinson/Dansdroneshots609)
