A fallen tree brought down power lines igniting two cars and leaving nearby apartment buildings without electricity in Camden County, according to the Cherry Hill Fire Department. The chain reaction unfolded around 3:30 p.m. when a tree fell onto live power lines on Frontage Road near the Grand A partment buildings in Cherry Hill. Officials said the lines then landed on two vehicles, sparking a large fire in the parking lot outside the apartment complex. Resident Andre Dossantos got his first look at the damage to his Hyundai Tucson after the fire. While flames and smoke damaged the SUV, it was spared the worst of the blaze. “I’m gonna see what the insurance says and hopefully everything works out,” Dossantos said. Viewer video captured Dossantos’ SUV parked next to two vehicles that were fully engulfed in flames after the downed power lines ignited the fire. “At first it was, like, apocalyptic because it was this big gray cloud of smoke. And then all the sudden there was an explosion and it was this big cloud of black smoke that went straight up and it was just burning and burning and burning,” resident Jason Klink said. The fire knocked out electricity to Klink’s apartment building and a neighboring building for several hours as crews from PSEG worked to restore service. “I’m on the third floor. So, thankfully I’m not too high up. But it’s getting hot up there and it’s getting hot quick,” Klink said. NBC10 crews were at the scene around 5:30 p.m. where we saw that car still smoking after the fire was put out. Dossantos credited firefighters with spraying his SUV with water, saying their quick response likely kept it from being destroyed like the two neighboring vehicles. Still, he said he’s unsure whether the SUV is drivable — a major concern because his family depends on it. “It’s just… I need the car for my wife. She’s going through her chemo cancer treatments and stuff. We go up to New York for that,” Dossantos explained. Fire officials said it remains unclear whether storms earlier in the day weakened the tree before it fell. They said two vehicles were totaled but no one was injured. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less