HILLSDALE—The owner of a silver Nissan Altima smelled something burning from his car, pulled over, and saw flames from his engine. He called emergency services and was standing by, the crisp blue morning of Monday, Jan. 16, as firefighters from the borough extinguished his burning car.
Both engines from the Hillsdale Volunteer Fire Department showed up to the scene, downtown next to Veterans Park across from the train station.
The call came in at 11:12 a.m., firefighter Tim Dinnell told Pascack Press. He said no injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire was not yet known.
Police were on the scene within moments, redirecting traffic. Passers-by reported intense heat and an acrid odor. The engine block was fully involved.
The Hillsdale Police Department told Pascack Press at 12:35 that the driver was not a resident of Hillsdale.
On Jan. 23, 2018, two Hillsdale police officers helped rescue a 47-year-old Bergenfield man from a vehicle that caught fire after it flipped over just before 2 a.m. along Kinderkamack Road. After the vehicle struck a tree, the driver lost control and the vehicle overturned near a house. Officers Alex Kaplan and Matt Buesser saw the car catch, and extinguished it.
Shortly afterward, the Hillsdale Fire Department arrived and rescued the man.