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Firefighters Douse Downtown Bergenfield Blaze Firefighters Douse Downtown Bergenfield Blaze
Firefighters Douse Downtown Bergenfield Blaze Firefighters extinguished a smoky Saturday afternoon blaze that damaged four stores in a downtown Bergenfield commercial strip. Five alarms were sounded after the fire broke out between two stores in a string of businesses on South Washington Avenue just south of Bedford Avenue around 1:45 p.m.  The call drew more than 100 firefighters to the scene. The blaze was contained and declared under control about an hour and 20 minutes later.  No injuries were reported. Mutual aid responders included firefighters from Bogota, Cresskill, Dumont, Englewood, Hackensack, Haworth, …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Haledon Police Rescue Resident As Fire Consumes Haledon Home Haledon Police Rescue Resident As Fire Consumes Haledon Home
Haledon Police Rescue Resident As Fire Consumes Haledon Home Police rescued a resident from a second-floor window after a Haledon home was destroyed by what began as a pre-dawn car fire. Other occupants also got out safely in the two-alarm blaze, which broke out on John Ryle Avenue around 4 a.m., borough firefighters said. One was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that weren’t considered life-threatening, they said. “Crews made an interior push to the 2nd floor to extinguish the bulk of the fire,” the department said in a post. “Crews then spent about an hour opening up and extinguishing hidden pockets of fire.” Fire Chief Tom Bakker declar…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
'Simply One Of The Best': Beloved Elizabeth Fire Chief Dale Arthur Dies 'Simply One Of The Best': Beloved Elizabeth Fire Chief Dale Arthur Dies
'Simply One Of The Best': Beloved Elizabeth Fire Chief Dale Arthur Dies Dale Arthur -- a beloved battalion chief with the Elizabeth Fire Department -- died at home early Sunday morning, fire officials announced. Arthur spent most of his firefighting career on Ladder 3, and officer years as captain of Rescue 1 and, most recently, Battalion 2, Tour 1. Condolences poured in. "Battalion Chief Arthur was one of the most knowledgeable, aggressive and squared away guys to ever work the job," Elizabeth NJ Fire Officers IAFF Local 2040 wrote on Facebook.  "A true leader and mentor." Condolences pour in for Elizabeth Fire Chief Dale Arthur.Elizabeth NJ Fire Office…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Firefighters KO Hawthorne Townhouse Blaze Firefighters KO Hawthorne Townhouse Blaze
Firefighters KO Hawthorne Townhouse Blaze Hawthorne firefighters kept a heavy blaze from doing even more damage to a local townhouse complex Friday night. The two-alarm fire broke out in the middle unit of the three-story wood-frame townhouse on Metro Vista Drive at Alana Drive around 7:45 p.m. and quickly traveled up the walls, responders said. Flames were running the rear wall from the first to the third floor and across the deck, they said. Despite heavy winds and exposure concerns, firefighters contained the blaze to the single unit and stopped it from spreading to the attic. Firefighters contained the blaze to the singl…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Massive Birthday Drive-By For Fallen Rockland Firefighter's Son Includes NJ Colleagues Massive Birthday Drive-By For Fallen Rockland Firefighter's Son Includes NJ Colleagues
Massive Birthday Drive-By For Fallen Rockland Firefighter's Son Includes NJ Colleagues VIDEO: Several New Jersey fire departments joined a massive drive-by for the sixth birthday of a heartbroken boy whose hero firefighter dad died in a nursing home blaze in Rockland County. Fire trucks, SUVs and other police, firefighter and EMS vehicles participated in the nearly 40-minute procession in Nanuet early Wednesday evening for the son of Spring Valley Firefighter Jared Lloyd. Lloyd, 35, was on the third floor of the Evergreen Court Home for Adults when it collapsed on Tuesday. His body was recovered on his boy's birthday on Wednesday, authorities said. Firefighters from a numbe…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Never-Ending Dedication To Service Marked Life Of Bergen Firefighting Veteran Never-Ending Dedication To Service Marked Life Of Bergen Firefighting Veteran
Never-Ending Dedication To Service Marked Life Of Bergen Firefighting Veteran TRIBUTE: In the world of public service, John Holter of Emerson was a rare breed. He worked for not just one but two fire companies for decades, and his professional life was all about helping people. Holter died Monday at the Valley Hospital in Ridgewood surrounded by a small group of family and friends. He was 70. The man wore several hats, as they say. A top-notch mechanic, Holter made sure your vehicle was humming when you brought it to Alpine Texaco – and, later, Alpine Shell, – which he and his late wife owned for more than 15 years. The station at the top of Closter Dock Road becam…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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'Quiet Giant': Borough Mourns Death Of Beloved Bergen County Firefighter, 61 'Quiet Giant': Borough Mourns Death Of Beloved Bergen County Firefighter, 61
'Quiet Giant': Borough Mourns Death Of Beloved Bergen County Firefighter, 61 He was a cornerstone of the Saddle River Fire Department, a "quiet giant" who, despite battling cancer, was still active and "always willing to help out," the borough's bravest said. They and others were in mourning after Mark Murray, 61, succumbed to the illness Tuesday night. “He was one of our beloved firemen and a lifelong resident,” Mayor Albert Kurpis and members of the Borough Council said in a brief statement. “[This is] a huge loss for our fire department and the borough.” Murray, who served in the U.S. Coast Guard, was vice president of the Saddle River Fire Association. e w…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
BRUSH FIRES: GS Parkway Closed Near Shore, NJ Turnpike Threatened Near Meadowlands BRUSH FIRES: GS Parkway Closed Near Shore, NJ Turnpike Threatened Near Meadowlands
Brush FIRES: GS Parkway Closed Near Shore, NJ Turnpike Threatened Near Meadowlands UPDATE: A forest fire jumped the entire width of the Garden State Parkway from Lakewood into Brick Township while a Meadowlands brush fire stopped short of the New Jersey Turnpike amid Sunday's fierce winds.  They were among no fewer than a half-dozen large brush fires -- and nearly just as many smaller blazes -- that raged at once throughout the Garden State on Sunday, whipped by winds reported at up to 40 miles an hour and low humidity that barely cracked 20%. Several New Jersey State Police troopers gathered on the Turnpike's western awaiting word whether to close the roadway as firefig…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Just Passing By: Hackensack Firefighters Help Douse Ridgefield Park Candle Factory Blaze Just Passing By: Hackensack Firefighters Help Douse Ridgefield Park Candle Factory Blaze
Just Passing By: Hackensack Firefighters Help Douse Ridgefield Park Candle Factory Blaze UPDATE: Firefighters doused a Wednesday afternoon blaze that damaged solar panels and a portion of the roof of a Ridgefield Park candle factory. Flames and smoke brought not only village firefighters but also their colleagues from Hackensack, who were passing by following a call on Route 80 and could see the roof of Star Candle Company on Industrial Avenue from the highway shortly after 12:30 p.m. The building was evacuated and no injuries were reported. Hackensack firefighters used dry-chemical extinguishers to hold the flames in check until their village colleagues arrived. The fire we…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
'Firefighting Royalty': NJ Legend Larry Rauch Dies 'Firefighting Royalty': NJ Legend Larry Rauch Dies
'Firefighting Royalty': NJ Legend Larry Rauch Dies He was the very definition of “class act,” a father figure and mentor to a multitude who made protecting others their mission. You couldn't help but love him. “Firefighting royalty” one colleague said Monday after learning that retired veteran fire chief and academy instructor Larry Rauch had died a week and a half shy of his 79th birthday. Rauch, the Bergen County Fire Academy’s head instructor for several decades, fought fires for nearly 50 years in Upper Saddle River. He lived there most of his life before moving to Manchester in 2019 with his beloved wife of 58 years, Sherry, who died…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
‘Going To Be Fighting This Fire Next Few Days,’ Passaic Mayor Says Of Massive Blaze ‘Going To Be Fighting This Fire Next Few Days,’ Passaic Mayor Says Of Massive Blaze
‘Going To Be Fighting This Fire Next Few Days,’ Passaic Mayor Says Of Massive Blaze UPDATE: A massive, multi-alarm blaze that consumed a Passaic recycling company continued burning into late morning Saturday as firefighters fought raging flames along with bitter cold. All of the workers at Atlantic Coast Fibers plant on 7th Street got out OK and no serious injuries were reported in the inferno, which began shortly after 11 p.m. Friday. A firefighter was hospitalized with an undisclosed injury, and the Passaic County prosecutor’s arson unit responded because of the size and amount of damage caused by the blaze, authorities said. In an eerie coincidence, the fire broke out…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
East Rutherford House Fire KO'd East Rutherford House Fire KO'd
East Rutherford House Fire KO'd East Rutherford firefighters doused a pre-dawn house blaze Sunday. The Willow Wood Court fire broke out in the living room of the 2½-story wood-frame home shortly before 2 a.m. and was quickly knocked down. Joining borough firefighters at the scene were companies from Carlstadt, Rutherford and Wallington. They were released shortly before 3 a.m. PHOTO: Damien Danis for DAILY VOICE

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by Jerry DeMarco