Early morning Hopewell fire leaves house uninhabitable

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP -- An early morning fire seriously damaged a house Tuesday in the Four Seasons development of Brandon Farms, police said.

Hopewell Township Police responded to a call on Foster Road around 5:30 a.m. Officials said a man had awoken to the smell of smoke in his home and called 911. He escaped the fire without injury, police said.

An officer who arrived at the scene saw "flames coming through the roof of the home," the police statement said.

Fire and emergency agencies from Pennington, Hopewell, Lawrenceville, and West Trenton responded to the call, and the fire was under control by about 6:30 a.m., police said.

"The home suffered major fire damage, as well as heat, smoke and water damage throughout," the statement said.

The two neighboring houses were evacuated as a precaution, and both suffered exterior damage due to heat.

The incident and the cause of the fire remain under investigation by township police, emergency services and the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office.

Paige Gross may be reached at pgross@njadvancemedia.comFollow her on Twitter @By_paigegross. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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