Crime & Safety

Bottle Rockets Spark Dumpster Blaze

The fire broke out Monday afternoon in a parking lot on the campus of Lincoln Tech.

A dumpster fire that broke out Wednesday afternoon in a steel, 30-yard dumpster located in a parking lot outside Lincoln Tech was likely started by bottlerockets thrown in the oversized trash bin, authorities said.

The dumpster was full of refuse and its contents were engulfed in flames when firefighters from Company 2 arrived on scene shortly before 1 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, according to Mahwah Fire Chief Ed Garza. The large dumpster was stationed in the back corner of the parking lot across the street from the school building, he said.

Bottle rockets were responsible for starting the fire, according to Police Chief Jim Batelli.

Find out what's happening in Mahwahwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Officer Michael Blondin, who is our arson investigator, determined that the fire was started by shooting fireworks, namely bottle rockets, from the parking lot into the dumpster,” Batelli said Wednesday afternoon.

As of 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, police were interviewing one suspect and looking for a second, Batelli said. Cops anticipated signing complaints against the two suspects Wednesday afternoon.

Find out what's happening in Mahwahwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The fire was contained to the contents of the dumpster, and after it is cleaned out by a waste management company, Garza said the dumpster should still be usable.

Submit your questions or news tips to jessica.mazzola@patch.com. And, remember to sign up for Patch's daily newsletter, and get updates on Facebook and Twitter.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.