By Sarah M. Wojcik
Eastern Express Times
HARMONY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — It took a half-dozen tanker trucks to extinguish a fire Tuesday at a salvage yard in the township after a man threw a cigarette butt into the pile of rubbish, township fire officials said.
Black smoke billowed about 12:30 p.m. from Shandor Used Auto Parts, 1735 River Road. Harmony Township fire Chief Wes Garrison said Stewartsville Volunteer Fire Department and Lopatcong Township Emergency Squad also responded to the call.
&All we know is that there was a younger gentleman down in the yard looking for parts and, according to the owner, he threw a cigarette into a pile of garbage,& Garrison said.
Five cars, swaths of brush and a pile of tires burned for hours, Garrison said. He said the burned area covered about 2,500 square feet. Fire officials used several loads of water from the trucks and a backhoe to battle the fire, according to the chief.
&There was a big pile of tires, and they don't like to go out,& Garrison said.
Joseph Shandor, owner of the junk lot, called the blaze an accident. He said he was grateful no one was hurt.
The five gutted vehicles and other equipment destroyed in the fire add up to about $1,000 worth of damage, according to Shandor. The damaged property was uninsured, he said.
&It's all part of the business,& Shandor said.
Garrison does not expect charges to be filed in connection with the fire. New Jersey State Police at Washington cover the township but said they did not respond.
