Crime & Safety
Courthouse Evacuated, Roads Closed
Police advise drivers to avoid area for several hours Wednesday morning.
A smoke condition caused authorities to evacuate the Morris County Courthouse Wednesday morning, delaying court proceedings including those
Morristown Police advised drivers shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday morning to avoid Western Avenue between Court and Ann streets in Morristown for several hours due to "fire department activity at Morris County Court House," in alert sent via the Nixle.com service.
"All motorists should plan on avoiding this area if possible as detours have been put into effect," police said in the alert.
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County Engineer Stephen W. Hammond said a problem with a wire in Courtroom 12 caused a smoke condition. Heavy smoked appeared in the building, and a people inside could smell something burning. Courthouse windows had been opened to let smoke out. An officer on scene said the building would likely be closed for several hours, if not the whole day.
Fire crews from Morristown, Morris Plains and Morris Township were on hand, as was Morristown EMS and Morristown Minute Men.
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UPDATE: , JCP&L later said.
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