Garbage Fire Erupts in Long Valley School Parking Lot, Cops Say

Washington Township Fire companies and Morris County’s Hazardous Materials Unit were needed at a Long Valley elementary school Thursday morning after the contents of a garbage truck caught fire, police said.

At 8:42 a.m. on April 2, police and fire personnel were dispatched to Old Farmers Road School for a report of a garbage fire, Lt. Doug Compton said.

When Officer Thomas Falleni arrived he found a large pile of trash and cardboard ablaze in the front parking lot of the school, Compton said. Falleni closed the road and fire companies arrived on scene to extinguish the flames.

An investigation revealed the operator of the Waste Management garbage truck found the trash inside the hauler had caught fire, Compton said. The driver then immediately dumped the trash onto the ground in order to stop the blaze from spreading to the rest of the contents and vehicle, Compton said.

The driver was later treated for smoke inhalation.

Morris County’s Hazardous Materials Unit later responded and found no hazardous materials were present, and Waste Management cleaning personnel followed through with clean-up.

Due to spring recess, no students or faculty were at the location at the time of the fire.

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