Hanover Township police are investigating a fire at a local hotel, with authorities believing that it may have been a case of arson.
The fire happened last weekend at the Marriott hotel on NJ State Route 10 in Whippany, NJ. (Whippany is a community located in Hanover, New Jersey.)
According to law enforcement officials, the fire was sparked by a lit cigar that had been wrapped in a towel and put on a linen cart. The linen cart was situated near a service elevator.
Smoke from the cigar set off the sprinkler system at the hotel, with local law enforcement soon receiving word of the fire and dispatching police officers to the scene.
Hanover NJ cops and Cedar Knolls firefighters arrived at the hotel and made sure that everyone was okay. Fortunately, nobody sustained any injuries due to the fire. However, the hotel did sustain property damage as a result of the fire and the sprinklers.
Detectives with the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Unit are currently investigating the possible property crime. If police can identify a suspect, the culprit could potentially face criminal charges for arson.
For additional information about this case, read the NJ.com article, “Lit Cigar Cause of Hanover Hotel Fire Saturday.”