RV Fire on 287 this afternoon closing North Bound Lanes in Hanover

HANOVER â€“ An RV was completely destroyed in a fire that forced the closing of Route 287 WednesdayÂ afternoon.

The vehicle was traveling north just before noon when it hit some kind of debris in the roadway so the driver, whose name was not released by police, pulled over to see what had happened, state police said.

The RV was on the side of the road when the fire became evident and it quickly spread before the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames. The driver and the one passenger inside made it out safely and no injuries were reported as a result of the fire, police said.

Jim Horan said he was driving past the area in the southbound lanes at about 1 p.m. Wednesday when he saw smoke and then heard a loud â€œboomâ€ as he drove away.

Firefighters from departments including Hanover and Morristown responded and were on scene within five minutes. Firefighters were able to put out the fire within minutes but needed to stay on scene for more than two hours to make sure the fire was fully out, police said.

The cause is under investigation and police were not sure if the debris in the road caused the fire or was merely coincidental.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation announced the temporary closure of all northbound lanes north of Exit 37 in Hanover for fire department activity at about 1:12 p.m. Wednesday. All lanes were closed for about 15 minutes before police were able to open one lane, then later another and eventually all lanes.

The RV was eventually towed from the scene, police said.