Tree Swayed, Broke in Fatal Accident on Mt. Airy Road

Phillipsburg man, longtime employee of Bernardsville's HW Alward Construction Co., killed in random accident.

A Warren County man has been identified as the driver of a utility truck crushed by a falling tree on Mount Airy Road Thursday afternoon on Mount Airy Road in Bernards Township, police said. Douglas McKay, 55, of Phillipsburg, was driving south along the roadway at about 3 p.m. when the large tree apparently swayed in the wind before breaking and falling on top of his vehicle, Bernards Township Police Chief Brian Bobowicz said in a release on Friday morning. McKay, a longtime employee of HW Alward Inc., had just left the facility at 161 Mount Airy Road in Bernardsville and was alone driving a company truck, a 1999 Ford utility vehicle, the release said. "Two motorist witnesses described seeing the tree sway during the windy conditions and …

• Photos (1)

House Fire Started With Christmas Tree, Officials Say

Firefighters quickly douse blaze on Benedict Crescent Thursday afternoon.

A fire that began in the living room of an attached home on Benedict Crescent in The Hills on Thursday afternoon apparently began with a burning Christmas tree near a fireplace, police and the fire chief said at the scene. The fire was reported shortly after 2 p.m., and firefighters were preparing to leave the scene shortly after 3 p.m. No one was injured in the incident, Bernards Township Police Lt. Mike Voorhees said. Voorhees said the occupant of the home apparently discovered and reported the fire. He said the exact cause of the fire was under investigation. Along with Liberty Corner Fire Co., the Far Hills-Bedminster Fire Department and Lyons Veterans Administration firefighters responded. Liberty Corner Fire Chief Marc Friedman said …

• Photos (2)

Liberty Corner Fire Co. Offering Free Spaghetti Dinner on Saturday Night

A scheduled fundraiser to turn into pick-me-up after Hurricane Sandy.

The scheduled Liberty Corner Fire Company's scheduled Saturday night spaghetti dinner at the firehouse on Church Street has turned into a free meal and get-togetger for those in the area feeling bedraggled after Sandy. The spaghetti dinner is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday at the firehouse at 95 Church St., in downtown Liberty Corner, Chief Marc Friedman confirmed. The dinner had been planned as a fundraiser. Donations still will be accepted.

• Photos (3)

Chief: Lightning Strike Likely Cause of Roof Fire

A 'phenomenal save' by firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading further, chief says.

A lightning strike during a swift but strong summer storm Monday afternoon was the likely cause of a roof fire on Emily Road, the Liberty Corner fire chief said. Chief Marc Friedman said a "phenomenal save" by firefighters halted the blaze before it spread further through the residence at 47 Emily Road. The fire likely began about 4:30 p.m., Friedman said. He added it wasn't long before a neighbor noticed the flames and called 911. Liberty Corner Fire Co. arrived—with assistance from the Basking Ridge Fire Co. and other nearby firefighting organizations—and was able to squelch most of the fire within about 20 minutes, Friedman said. He said the fire will be investigated, but it appears that lightning during the Monday afternoon storm was …

• Photos (4)

Brush Fire in Dry Pine Needles in The Hills

High temperatures make all ground debris dry out quickly.

A small patch of dry pine needles caught fire on the edge of the parking lot behind the Hills Highlands Village Center on Sunday night, but the blaze was quickly snuffed out. Fred Miller, a Liberty Corner fireman who also is with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, reached the fire with other local emergency responders at about 10 a.m. Sunday. Miller said he declined to speculate on what ignited the fire, which he said had grown to an area of about 10 by 10 feet by the time he arrived. But although it had rained a few days earlier, Miller said it is easy for pine needles to dry out quickly in weather of near 100 degrees.

• Photos (1)

View Finder

Liberty Corner Celebrates Holiday With Short But Sweet Parade

Scouts and local community groups join fire companies in ringing the holiday spirit.

Young singers in angel outfits, Cub Scouts from Troop 54, and even some adults (including Santa) were among those who joined in Thursday night's annual Bernards Township Chamber Holiday Parade through Liberty Corner Village. The parade stepped out at 7:30 p.m. from the flag pole at the intersection of Church Street and Valley Road. It proceeded down Church Street — past well-wishers lined up on sidewalks, with a few sitting on porches — to the Liberty Corner firehouse, where everyone was offered refreshments and a greeting from Santa. The Cherub Choir from Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church, with young singers from age two to 11, led the procession. They were followed by local scouts, fire companies and rescue squads from both Liberty …

• Photos (20)

9/11—10 Years Later

VIDEOS: With Pride and Some Tears, 9/11 Firefighters Memorial Is Dedicated

The Liberty Corner Fire Co.'s public presentation of a memorial that took a year to plan becomes a focal point for remembrance in Bernards Township.

The speakers, musicians and other presenters at the Liberty Corner Fire Company's public unveiling of a 9/11 memorial that was a year in the making became a touching gathering place for a community that remembers the events of Sept. 11, 2001 all to well. The Basking Ridge Patch captured some of the comments and moments from the ceremony, held on noon on Sunday. While most of the memorial is complete, additional landscaping and other work needs to be done. Bricks are still on sale for $100 apiece to fund the remainder of the public piece, topped with a piece of steel from the World Trade Center site, to help complete the job. For more information, visit the Liberty Corner Fire Company website.

•  1 Comment
• Videos (5)

Liberty Corner Fire Co. Selling Bricks for 9/11 Memorial

Fundraiser will support memorial to be dedicated at the firehouse at noon on Sunday, Sept. 11.

The Liberty Corner Fire Company was privileged to receive from the Port Authority a piece of steel from the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, and is constructing a memorial that will be dedicated in front of the volunteer fire company's firehouse on Sept. 11, 2011. In order to fund the project, the fire company has announced it is selling memorial bricks to the public. The purchaser can have the brick inscribed with a message and/or a name. The bricks are being offered at $100 each, and all of the proceeds will be used for the memorial, according to a public announcement from the fire company. More information on purchasing a brick for the memorial, and to purchase a brick, is available by downloading, completing and returning the 9/…

• Photos (3)

Apparent Electrical Fire Damages Liberty Corner Home

Fire officials say blaze, still under investigation, may have been started when truck hit outdoors wire.

A Friday afternoon fire that apparently spread throughout the electrical system of an uninhabited house at 22 Elizabeth St. in the Liberty Corner section was doused by local firefighters, but not without substantial damage to the home's walls and ceilings. Although contractors were inside the home at the time the fire broke out, no one was injured, said Marc Friedman, first assistant chief for the Liberty Corner Fire Co. The contractor's did not cause the fire, he said. However, he said that the blaze — still under investigation — potentially could have been sparked when a box truck earlier hit an outdoor wire leading into the house. The wire led into the attic area, where the fire apparently started.  The call for the fire came in shortly…

• Photos (3)

Liberty Corner Fire Co. to March in Philadelphia's Fourth of July Parade

Follow-up to participation in Washington parade four years ago.

On this July 4, about 20 members of the Liberty Corner Fire Co. and their firefighting trucks will be marching a little further than usual from home—marching as part of the Independence Day parade in Philadelphia. First Assistant Chief Marc Friedman said the procession will pass in front of the Liberty Bell along Monday's parade route in the City of Brotherly Love. The all-volunteer fire company received a personal invitation to join the parade as a result of some of the company's participation in a past July 4 parade in Washington, he said. Friedman said that as far as he can tell, the lengthy parade lineup only will include two firefighting units, Liberty Corner and Philadelphia. The members were busy last week shining up their apparatus…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (3)