Monday, May 6, 2013
Truck that sparked a 1,000-square foot brush fire had been abandoned in the woods for about two months, police say
The Mahwah Police Department is continuing to investigate how and why a Ford truck that sparked a 1,000-square foot brush fire this weekend was left deep in a wooded area off of Route 202, police said Monday afternoon. The truck “had been abandoned there for approximately two months, but never reported to our agency,” Police Chief Jim Batelli said Monday. Police learned the truck’s timeline after interviewing witnesses who walk through the wooded area, Batelli said. Police are currently trying to locate the owner using the truck’s Vehicle Identification Number, Batelli said. According to authorities, the truck caught on fire Friday night for unknown reasons. The blaze spread to the nearby wooded area, and took crews from the New Jersey …
Sunday, May 5, 2013
The hard-to-reach fire in the woods took crews over five hours to fight, authorities said
The Mahwah Fire Department and crews from several surrounding towns spent over five hours Friday night fighting a truck fire that spread to a wooded area between Stag Hill and the boy scout camp off Route 202, fire officials said over the weekend. According to Fire Chief Ed Garza, a truck that had likely gone off-roading and was left in the “middle of the two mountains,” started burning Friday night sometime before 5 p.m. Neighbors in the area and workers currently working on the Tennessee Gas Pipeline expansion project in the area reported smoke, but because of the location of the fire, it took firefighters about half an hour to find, and get to, the fire, he said. “It was pretty bad, difficult to get to,” Garza said. Firefighters and …
Friday, April 26, 2013
The five-company township department is made of entirely of trained volunteer members
- POLICE & FIRE
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Friday, April 26
The Mahwah Fire Department is looking for volunteers. “The fire department is always looking for a few good men and women who want to give back to the community,” Fire Chief Ed Garza said of the all-volunteer organization. The FD, which is made up of five companies spread throughout the township, recently re-released a recruitment video that gives residents a look at what it is like to serve. Volunteers can begin their fire department careers as young as age 14, on the junior squad. Adult members are given free schooling and training. See the above video, visit one of the fire department locations Wednesday nights at 7:30 p.m., or go to the township website for more information. Or, interested volunteers can contact: Submit your questions …
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
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. “Officer Michael Blondin, who is our arson investigator, determined that the fire was started by shooting …
Mahwah's fire department combined forces with the Saddle River FD to put together a donation for the southern department
A fire department in rural Georgia is now equipped with bunker pants and coats, thanks to a donation from the Mahwah and Saddle River Fire Departments. According to Brad Stio, a township resident and member of both the Mahwah and Saddle River Fire Departments, the SRFD recently learned about a fire department in Georgia dealing with insufficient funding and outdated gear. Saddle River DPW Supervisor, Bruce Mautz, a former Woodcliff Lake Fire Chief, put Saddle River Fire Chief Kenneth Warr in contact with Chief Durie of the Beaver Dam Fire Department in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, Stio said. “Chief Durie spoke about inadequate firefighting gear and equipment in his rural Georgia county and that the average budget for the 14 departments in …
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
It took about 75 firefighters from a number of local departments several hours to put out a blaze on a mountain in the southern end of the Harriman State Park in Suffern Sunday evening
The Mahwah Fire Department was one of a handful of local departments that fought a tree and brush fire on a mountain in Suffern that grew into a 10-acre blaze Sunday, authorities said Monday afternoon. According to fire officials, Mahwah firefighters spent about four-and-a-half hours Sunday evening helping fight a fire that broke out on one of the slopes of a mountain in Harriman State Park off Route 202 in Suffern. Because of the nature and location of the fire, normal fire trucks could not reach it, so the MFD responded to the mutual aid call with its mini pumper and a force of ATVs, Fire Chief Ed Garza said. Crews “had to drive up the mountain to transport [firefighters] and equipment up and down,” he said. According to an article on …
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Early morning fire at Ramapo Ridge Condo Clubhouse damaged the roof and one room.
One room and the roof of the Ramapo Ridge Condo Clubhouse on Lydia Lane were damaged when a small fire broke out in the roof early Saturday morning, Mahwah Fire Chief Ed Garza said. The fire broke out at around 5 a.m. in the roof near the sprinkler system, according to Garza. By the time Mahwah firefighters responded to the scene, fire was coming out of the back of the building. Fortunately, damage was contained to the roof and one room, he said. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
Friday, March 29, 2013
The fire department's upcoming 100th anniversary will celebrate volunteer members
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Three of Mahwah’s fire companies responded to the blaze
A driver was not injured when his parked car spontaneously burst into flames while parked in a Mahwah parking lot Tuesday afternoon, Mahwah Fire Department officials said. According to Fire Chief Ed Garza, a car parked in a lot off of Hilltop Rd. in Mahwah burst into flames at about 11:20 a.m. Wednesday. Mahwah fire companies 1, 2, and 3 responded to the blaze, which completely destroyed the car, Garza said. The car was parked away from any buildings in the area, and the fire did not spread from the car, Garza said. Officials said they are not yet sure why the fire started, but Garza said “something in the engine area,” is what caught fire. No one was injured as a result of the fire, officials said. Submit your questions or news tips to …
Monday, March 18, 2013
The MFD's annual Communion ceremony was Sunday morning
Each year, the Mahwah Fire Department honors the lives of fallen members in a Communion ceremony. Sunday morning, firefighters dressed in uniform gathered at the Company Two firehouse on Island Road, walked to the Church across the street, and held a service in honor of all past MFD members who have passed away. Members say the Communion ceremony is one of the most moving fire department events of the year. 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.
Andy Schmidt
9:19 am on Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Hi Regenbogen - absolutely. I'm not referring to indiviuals who use their devices on land designated by the owners, or leased from the owners, for that purpose. I'm taking about everyone who uses their devices (yes, and horses) in the Ramapo Mountains on county or state land (or township land) where their uses is EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN. There are signs all over the place - and I find their tracks … more ›