Ramsey FD Assists in Mahwah House Fire

About a dozen firefighters and two fire trucks from Ramsey assisted in fighting a fire that broke out in a service van and quickly spread to a home in Mahwah Tuesday afternoon, Ramsey Fire Chief Randy Sterbinsky said.

According to Mahwah Fire Chief Ed Garza, the right side of the Swan Road home, including the garage, closet, master bedroom and portion of the house’s roof, are “pretty much gutted out. Those rooms are totally damaged.”

The damage was contained to the right side of the house, he said.

According to Police Chief Jim Batelli, an electrician installing a generator in the house had parked in the driveway near the home’s garage. After 1 p.m., he heard a popping noise, and saw that his van was fully engulfed in flames, Batelli said.

The fire spread from the van to the garage, officials said.

Only the electrician was in the home at the time the fire broke out, and the two dogs inside the home were removed safely, Batelli said.

Authorities are not yet sure what sparked the fire in the van, which had been parked in the driveway since about 9 a.m. Tuesday, police said.

All five Mahwah fire companies, Mahwah Police, and Ambulance responded to the fire, as well as firefighters from Suffern, Ramsey and Wyckoff.

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