It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Westwood’s volunteer firefighters.
They were already out at another call on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 1, when a report came in of smoke coming from the roof at the Westwood Regional Middle School on Third Avenue.
At around 8 a.m., contractors working on a different section of the roof had seen the smoke and called 911.
“Chief 15-1 along with police arrived on scene to confirm a smoke condition inside of the gymnasium of the school,” the department wrote on Facebook. “Engine 1-2 stretched one line to the roof to knock down the smoldering embers while the truck company opened up to check for extension.”
According to Westwood Regional School District Superintendent Dr. Ray Gonzalez, “While the exact cause of the fire has not been confirmed, I can confirm that work was taking place a couple days earlier on that portion of the building to install components for a new HVAC system.”
He praised the quick work of the volunteer firefighters, “who contained the fire that appeared to be smoldering between the layers of the roof,” adding, “Since it occurred on a Saturday morning, there were only few occupants in the building and everyone was safe.”
Gonzalez further explained, “The district is working with the architect, contractor and insurance company to assess the damage and determine the next steps in order to complete the repairs to the roof and interior renovations. In the likely event that the renovations of the space will be delayed due to the roof repairs, the school administration will make arrangements to relocate students to another area of the building if needed.”
It was only the beginning of a very busy stretch for the Westwood firefighters, who logged more than 50 calls in just a few days in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias.
The department wrote on Aug. 7, “Since Monday, Aug. 3, the fire department has been very busy going on over 50-plus calls of service for the borough. Most were due to the tropical storm that moved through the state on Tuesday. Most calls were minor tree limbs down in the roadway or generator issues. A few others were deemed more serious as full trees were thrown across roadways and high tension wires were taken down. A pole was even partially taken down in front of the firehouse causing us to temporarily leave our apparatus outside of the building for two days. In the end everyone who needed the fire department’s assistance was safe and and no injuries were reported.”