Fire Damages Building at Hopewell Valley Vineyards

Fire companies from several area municipalities, including Lawrence Township, responded to a blaze that damaged the main building at Hopewell Valley Vineyards in Hopewell Township this morning (Tuesday, June 12).

Emergency personnel were initially dispatched around 6:20 a.m. to investigate a fire alarm system activation at the building on the property off Yard Road, according to Hopewell Township Police Chief George Meyer.

“When [police] officers and firefighters arrived they found a smoke condition within the large, banquet hall type structure,” Meyer said.

With confirmation of a real fire, additional firefighters were dispatched as the full first alarm was transmitted at 6:35 a.m. (To hear a recording of the first alarm being dispatched, click on the video file above.)

Responding to the blaze were firefighters from Pennington Borough, Hopewell Borough, Hopewell Township, Lawrence Township, Ewing Township, Montgomery Township, Upper Makefield (Pa.) and elsewhere.

“Firefighters very quickly located the source of the smoke, a fire within a wall in the kitchen area,” Meyer said. “They immediately opened up the wall and extinguished the fire.”

Pennington Borough Fire Co. Chief James DeForte directed firefighting efforts and the blaze was officially declared under control at 7:01 a.m.

Meyer said fire damage was limited to the kitchen area, however the entire structure suffered some smoke damage and the roof was breached by firefighters to ventilate the building.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by Hopewell Township Police Detective Dan McKeown, Specialist Josh Wilson from Hopewell Valley Emergency Services, and Mercer County Fire Marshal George Lenhardt.

“The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, however preliminary indications are that it may have been electrical in nature,” Meyer said.