Firefighters Battle Blaze At The Ridge Amid Scorching Heat

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Firefighters battled a fire that broke out on the roof of The Ridge Restaurant & Pizza while also dealing with scorching temperatures on Monday afternoon.

Employees at the Italian restaurant at 25 S Finley Avenue reported a smell of smoke in the kitchen area, said Basking Ridge Fire Company Chief Peter Von Der Linde.

The Basking Ridge Fire Company arrived and found a small fire in the roof space above the restaurant kitchen. They began to remove small parts of the roof and ceiling to expose the fire and work on extinguishing the fire.

"Due to the very warm weather, the firefighting crews needed to be rotated often," Von Der Linde said.

Additional units from Liberty Corner Fire and Bernardsville Fire Company also came to provide additional manpower and protection for adjacent buildings in case the fire spread.

The Ridge said the fire was started due to workers up on the roof. The restaurant was closed for the remainder of the day to clean up minor water damage from extinguishing the fire.

"We want to thank the Basking Ridge Volunteer Fire Company and all who turned out and saved our business from the roof fire," The Ridge Restaurant posted on their Facebook page.

The restaurant reopened on Tuesday.

Von Der Linde also thanked Brush’s Deli and an unidentified citizen that donated chilled water for the firefighters.

The Basking Ridge Fire Company, Liberty Corner Fire Company, and Bernardsville Fire Company are all completely volunteer organizations. If interested in volunteering for the Basking Ridge Fire Company click here or Liberty Corner Fire Company click here or Bernardsville Fire Company click here.

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