By: Richard L. Smith 
A resident was displaced Friday evening after a kitchen fire damaged an apartment building in Hackettstown, prompting a response from multiple emergency agencies.
According to information released by the Hackettstown Police Department, officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Center Street at approximately 5:46 p.m. on July 17 following reports of a structure fire.
When officers arrived, they encountered heavy black smoke pouring from one of the apartments and immediately began evacuating residents from the building as firefighters were called to the scene.
Police said the homeowner told officers he had been visiting a neighbor when smoke alarms sounded.
After returning to his apartment, he discovered an active kitchen fire and attempted to extinguish the flames with a fire extinguisher. However, the fire had already grown too large to safely control.
Firefighters from the Hackettstown Fire Department, along with several neighboring departments, responded and brought the blaze under control.
Authorities said no injuries were reported.
All residents were able to return to their apartments except for the occupant of the fire-damaged unit, who is being assisted by the American Red Cross of New Jersey.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Hackettstown Police Detective Bureau and the Mount Olive Township Fire Marshal’s Office.