Lawrence Township Fire Log: May 7-13

Lawrence Township is protected by three volunteer fire companies: (Station 21), founded in 1907; Lawrence Road Fire Co. (Station 22), organized in 1914; and Lawrenceville Fire Co. (Station 23), founded in 1915. Fires, motor vehicle accidents, hazardous situations, chemical spills, natural disasters, floods and animal rescues are among the wide variety of emergency situations to which the fire companies regularly respond. 

When an emergency is reported through the 911 system, volunteer firefighters are alerted via pager. If they are available, they leave their homes, jobs or wherever they are at the time and respond to their respective firehouses. Once a minimum number of volunteers (usually four) are present, they staff a fire engine, ladder truck or other apparatus and respond to the scene of the emergency.

Between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday to Friday (with the exception of holidays) Lawrence Township's four career (paid) firefighters also respond to emergencies under the designation of Station 20. 

The following is a log of all 17 calls answered by township firefighters from May 7 through May 13, 2011. All calls occurred within Lawrence Township, except where noted.

The total number of fire calls for 2011 through May 13 is 372.

#1 (#356) Saturday, May 7 – Brush Fire – Phillips Avenue

• Dispatch: 2:04 p.m. Last Unit Returned: 2:25 p.m.
• 4-foot by 4-foot area of mulch smoldering. Area wet down. Station 23 responded.

#2 (#357) Saturday, May 7 – Hazardous Materials Incident – Village Park

• Dispatch: 3:16 p.m.  Last Unit Returned: 4:47 p.m.
• 911 caller reporting finding a strange white powder on a grassy area near a walking path in the park. Lawrenceville Fire Co. and the hazardous materials team from Trenton Fire Department responded. Firefighters in protective suits tested the powder and determined it was harmless.

#3 (#358) Saturday, May 7 – Odor of Smoke – 400 block Berwyn Avenue, Ewing Township

• Dispatch: 7:47 p.m. Last Unit Returned: 8:43 p.m.
• Snorkel 21 and Engine 21 from Slackwood Fire Co. responded to help Ewing Township firefighters investigate an odor of smoke in a house.

#4 (#359) Sunday, May 8 – Mutual Aid Cover – Prospect Heights Fire Co., Ewing Township

• Dispatch: 3:13 a.m.  Last Unit Returned: 4:11 a.m.
• Engine 21 from Slackwood Fire Co. relocated to the Prospect Heights firehouse (Station 31) to provide coverage to Ewing Township while Ewing firefighters were committed to an emergency scene.

#5 (#360) Sunday, May 8 – Mutual Aid Cover – Pennington Road Fire Co., Ewing Township

• Dispatch: 3:16 a.m. Last Unit Returned: 4:14 a.m.
• Telesquirt 23 from Lawrenceville Fire Co. relocated to the Pennington Road firehouse (Station 32) to provide coverage to Ewing Township while Ewing firefighters were committed to an emergency scene.

#6 (#361) Sunday, May 8 – Odor of Smoke – Area of Ives Avenue, Ewing Township

• Dispatch: 7:59 p.m.  Last Unit Returned: 8:26 p.m.
• Snorkel 21 from Slackwood Fire Co. responded to help Ewing Township firefighters investigate an odor of smoke in the areas of Ives Avenue and North Olden Avenue.

#7 (#362) Monday, May 9 – Vehicle Fire – Mercer Mall, 3300 block Brunswick Pike (Route 1)

• Dispatch: 3:54 p.m.  Last Unit Returned: 4:44 p.m.
• 1989 Ford Econoline van caught fire next to the Joe Canal’s liquor store. Fire was extinguished with no damage to the building. Stations 20, 21, 22, 23 responded.

#8 (#363) Monday, May 9 – Mutual Aid Cover – Colonial Fire Co., Hamilton Township

• Dispatch: 5:05 p.m.  Last Unit Returned: 6:58 p.m.
• Rescue 22 from Lawrence Road Fire Co. relocated to the Colonial firehouse (Station 18) to help cover Hamilton Township while Hamilton firefighters were busying fighting a house fire on Appleton Drive.

#9 (#364) Tuesday, May 10 – Fire Alarm – 100 block Franklin Corner Road

• Dispatch: 2:32 p.m.  Last Unit Returned: 2:58 p.m.
• Alarm system malfunction. Stations 20, 21, 23 responded.

#10 (#365) Wednesday, May 11 – Bomb Scare – National Guard Armory, Eggerts Crossing Rd

• Dispatch: 3:30 pm. Last Unit Returned: 5:05 p.m.
• Firefighters, EMS and police stood by while members of the New Jersey State Police Bomb Squad check a suspicious looking pipe that was found on the armory property. The pipe was found to be harmless. Stations 20, 22 responded

#11 (#366) Wednesday, May 11 – Carbon Monoxide Alarm – Arthur Place

• Dispatch: 11:01 p.m. Last Unit Returned: 11:17 p.m.
• Malfunction of alarm system. Station 21 responded.

#12 (#367) Thursday, May 12 – Fire Alarm – Lawn Park Avenue

• Dispatch: 1:28 a.m.  Last Unit Returned: 2:05 a.m.
• Malfunction of alarm system at Eldridge Park Elementary School. Stations 21, 22 responded.

#13 (#368) Thursday, May 12 – Fatal Traffic Accident – 1700 block Brunswick Pike

• Dispatch: 12:46 p.m. Last Unit Returned: 3:45 p.m.
• An 88-year-old man was killed when his car went off the road, overturned and crashed into the side of a house. Firefighters made the scene safe and extricated the victim from the wreckage. Stations 20, 21, 22, 23 responded.

#14 (#369) Thursday, May 12 – Odor of Smoke – 3700 block Lawrence Road (Route 206)

• Dispatch: 12:51 p.m.  Last Unit Returned: 1:13 p.m.
• Smoke in the area was found to be from opening burning at Peterson’s Nursery. All required burning permits were in hand. Stations 23 and 60 (Princeton Fire Department) responded.

#15 (#370) Friday, May 13 – Animal Rescue – 200 block Lawrence Road (Route 206)

• Dispatch: 7:05 p.m. Last Unit Returned: 7:40 p.m.
• The crew of Rescue 21 from Slackwood Fire Co. rescued an iguana from a tree.

#16 (#371) Friday, May 13 – Overturned Vehicle – Trenton Freeway (Route 1)

• Dispatch: 8:01 p.m.  Last Unit Returned: 8:29 p.m.
• A car traveling northbound went off the road and flipped over onto its roof in the woods a half-mile north of Whitehead Road. Driver was not trapped and suffered only minor injuries. Stations 21, 22, 23 responded.

#17 (#372) Friday, May 13 – Natural Gas Leak – Colts Circle

• Dispatch: 8:10 p.m. Last Unit Returned: 9:24 p.m.
• Natural gas leak from a defective stove in a second-floor apartment in Carriage Park, a four-story condominium building for people aged 55 and older. Building was evacuated while firefighters worked to find and stop the gas leak. Stations 21, 22, 23, 14 (Hamilton Fire Co., Hamilton Township) and 32 (Pennington Road Fire Co., Ewing Township) responded.