Hawthorne’s Bravest continue to battle the cold while responding to numerous calls. The Township of Wyckoff requested mutual aid at 12:07 am for an engine company to respond to the scene of a garage fire. Engine Co. #1 with OIC A/C J. Counsellor 501 signed in and responded with a crew of five. They were released from the scene shortly after as Wyckoff fire crews controlled the fire quickly.
A call for smoke in the residence was received at 3:28 am from 91 Brookside Avenue. Chief J. Speranza 50 responded and found a heavy smoke condition in the house resulting from unattended cooking. Residents were evacuated from both floors. Engine Co. #1 with OIC A/C J. Counsellor 501 and Tower Co. #2 with OIC A/C A. DiVincent 502 and their crews ventilated the building and checked for any extension. All other responding fire companies were returned.
At 4:56 am fire companies were dispatched for heavy smoke coming from the structure to the rear of 107 Royal Ave. Chief J. Speranza 50 called in service an observed a large column of smoke while enroute. Upon arrival he reported a large commercial 2 bay garage fully involved and beginning to extend to an occupied 2 ½ story wood frame on the “Delta” side. He established command and transmitted a second alarm. Engine Co. #1 arrived with OIC A/C J. Counsellor 501, laid a supply line and immediately stretched a 2 ½” handline for exposure protection and successfully stopped the spread of fire to the structure. A/C J. Counsellor 501 was assigned as the Operations Officer for the incident. Tower Co. #2 with OIC A/C A. DiVincent 502 searched exposure “D” and checked for fire extension. Engine Co. #4 with OIC A/C J. Geier established a water supply and stretched exposure protection lines to the “C” side on Forest Avenue. Engine Co. #3 with OIC Capt. J. Longo 403 stretched additional lines from Engine 1 and went to work on the main body of fire. Engine 3 also supplied Engine 1 with additional water from a hydrant on the corner of Grand and Jefferson. The supply line was stretched across the tracks and the railroad was notified to stop all rail traffic. Rescue Co. #5 with OIC A/C B. Warner 505 brought manpower to assist with opening up the garage. Wyckoff Rescue responded to the scene to assist as HFD’s Rescue was still out of service. A collapse zone was established by the Safety Officers on scene and numerous handlines worked on the heavy fire condition as the roof collapsed. All hands for operated for about a hour until the fire was declared under control around 6 am. A backhoe from the DPW was requested to remove debris so fire crews could get to the hot spots. A bucket loader was called in later on to take down the remainder of the block walls as stress cracks were numerous throughout the garage. All fire crews did a fantastic job of stopping the spread of fire to the neighboring structure and knocking down the main body of fire quickly. Proper hose line selection and placement was the key to success. Thank you to Wyckoff FD who provided assistance at the scene and coverage at Fire HQ, and to Prospect Park and North Haledon who also covered the boro while Hawthorne units were operating, and to our Ladies Auxiliary for providing much needed refreshments.
The fourth call of the day was dispatched at 11:15 am for a possible electrical fire at 168 Washington Ave. Chief J. Speranza and Engine Co. #4 responded from the scene on Royal Ave. Tower Co. #2 and Engine Co. #3 continued in to the scene and Engine Co. #1 and Rescue Co. #5 were held in quarters. The initial search crew reported an electrical odor and a light smoke condition in the basement. Two circuits were found tripped at the electrical panel and two faulty outlets were located. The building was checked again with the thermal imaging camera with negative results. The homeowner was advised to contact an electrician and all companies returned to quarters with hopefully some much needed rest to follow.
More pictures at:
http://hawthornefire.shutterfly.com/1186 courtesy of Rev. Ken VanderWall and Bob Modelski
**NEW PICTURES ADDED 1/27/10**
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