A structure fire early this morning in downtown Toms River damaged an office building at 94 Water Street, according to Township police.

A portion of the road was shutdown while crews battled the blaze. It broke out around 3:30 a.m., according to authorities. No one was believed to have been inside at the time.

A structure fire early this morning in downtown Toms River damaged an office building at 94 Dock Street.
Photo by Vin Ebenau, TSM News
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Responding officers and firefighters could hear small explosions coming from the structure as they approached, according to Toms River Police Department Spokesman Ralph Stocco.

Photo by Officer Walter Herman, Toms River Police Department.
Photo by Officer Walter Herman, Toms River Police Department.
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Stocco said it turned out to be small caliber ammunition detonating from the heat inside of an office space.  Investigators determined that the building’s owner is a competitive shooter. There were approximately 100,000 rounds of ammunition stored within the building.

The fire was under control at 5:30 am., Stocco said. The cause remains under investigation.

Toms River Fire Companies Number 1 & 2, East Dover Fire, Silverton Fire, Pleasant Plains Fire, Island Heights Fire all responded, as well as Toms River EMS, the Toms River Volunteer EMS and the Silverton Volunteer EMS.

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