MAHWAH (VIA MFD) – On Saturday morning at 6:44 a.m., multiple Mahwah fire, police and EMS units converged at a notoriously dangerous 287 overpass on the New York border. A fully loaded fuel tanker carrying nearly 8000 gallons of gasoline had overturned and was furiously burning. Squad 2, a foam pumper, and Engine 117 were the primary attack units with station 3 engines laying a supply line nearly 3,000 feet across the highway.
Due to the size of the incident additional mutual aid was requested from New York State fire departments and the Northern Region UASI foam task force was also activated, bringing nearly 20,000 gallons of foam concentrate to the scene if it transitioned to a long term event.
“Thankfully, the burning fuel was contained to a roughly 2000’ stretch between the highway and the adjacent mountain,” the Mahwah Fire Department said. “Numerous brush fires were extinguished by additional Mahwah and mutual aid units. The driver of the tractor-trailer sadly perished in the accident.”
Photos by Mahwah FD