Forklift Catches Fire Inside Route 17 Home Depot

The Mahwah Fire Department quickly extinguished a fire Monday morning that officials said could have easily spread from a forklift inside the Mahwah Home Depot's Garden Center to the many Christmas trees and firewood displays surrounding it, Mahwah Assistant Fire Chief Brad Stio said.

The forklift, which was parked in the Garden Center of the Mahwah Home Depot on Route 17 North, burst into flames and started smoking at about 6:20 a.m. Monday, Stio said. An engine from Mahwah Fire. Co. 2 knocked down the fire after a group of employees tried unsuccessfully to put it out, Stio said. Crews from Mahwah Fire Co. 1 and 3, Mahwah Ambulance Co. 1 and theMahwah Police assisted.

“They fought the fire extremely quickly,” Stio said. “The Garden Center is an inside structure with lots of Christmas trees and firewood in it, so we were very concerned that this could spread.”

Though the forklift was destroyed, nothing else was damaged, authorities said. According to Stio, the fire likely started as the result of a malfunction in the forklift, though he said Monday morning he was unsure of the exact nature of the malfunction.

No Home Depot employees were injured when they attempted to put the fire out before the MFD arrived, officials said.

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