UPDATE:Trader Joe's opens at Bridgewater Promenade

BRIDGEWATER – The new Trader Joe's store in Bridgewater Promenade will open at 9 a.m. Friday, a day after a fire caused damage to the back portion of the building.

"The Bridgewater store will open as planned tomorrow," a Trader Joe's spokeswoman said in an email late Thursday afternoon.

The grand opening ceremony starts at 8:55 a.m.

Some food products were embargoed in the back room. However, Trader Joe’s was working to clean the back area and address health and fire concerns to have their grand opening, Bridgewater Health Officer Vanessa Freire said in an email.

Freire said the Bridgewater Township health and fire departments will re-inspect the establishment prior to the store opening.

About 11:13 a.m. the Bridgewater Township Police Department responded to the scene. A manager reported to arriving officers that workers were welding in the back of the store and activated the fire alarm. When the Finderne Fire Department arrived, they found a fire in the rear interior walls, according to a release from Bridgewater police.

In a Facebook post, the Finderne Fire Department said it was dispatched to the store for a fire alarm activation. When the chief arrived, there was a heavy smoke condition at the rear of the building, and the chief requested a first alarm assignment for a working building fire.

The fire was located inside the wall in the rear loading area and two attack lines were stretched while the crew from Tower 30 went to the roof. The walls were opened, and the fire was extinguished shortly afterward, according to the post which also included several photos of wet wall board and insulation.

The damage was contained to the insulation and wall board in the rear of the building. A hole was cut into the roof to ventilate the building, the Bridgewater Police Department release states.

Firefighters from the Bound Brook, Green Knoll and Manville fire departments responded to the scene along with the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital ambulance, Bridgewater Township Health Department and Bridgewater Township Fire Official.

Although there was no visible smoke or fire when a reporter arrived, fire engines from Finderne, Martinsville and Hillsborough were spotted at the scene. There were two ladders extended to the roof of the store, one in the back in the building and one in the front.

A police monitoring service indicated a health inspector was requested to the scene to check for possible smoke contamination of food products.

The store is scheduled to open at 9 a.m. Friday, with an opening ceremony scheduled for 8:55 a.m.

The store, located next to Old Navy, and has been long sought after in the area.

EARLIER:Trader Joe's in Bridgewater to open at 9 a.m. Friday

Trader Joe's joins other national brands, such as Costco, Home Depot, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Bob's Discount Furniture, Marshall's, Pet Smart and Michael's, in the 240,000-square-foot shopping center across East Main Street from TD Bank Ballpark.

For months there had been speculation that the chain would be coming to here after the township approved a "specialty food store" to move into the space formerly occupied by the Golfsmith store.

Trader Joe's stores around Central Jersey have suffered other unfortunate incidents. In January 2016, the roof of the Trader's Joe in Westfield collapsed following a heavy snowstorm. The store has since reopened.

This is a breaking news story. Stay with MyCentralJersey for updates.

Suzanne Russell covers crime, courts, and other forms of mayhem from throughout the Central Jersey area for the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey. Contact her at srussell@gannettnj.com.

Staff Writer Nick Muscavage is an award-winning watchdog reporter whose work spans many topics and has spurred the creation of a state law. Contact him: 908-243-6615; ngmuscavage@gannettnj.com; @nmuscavage.