On Wednesday July 17, 2013 at about 10:01 am, the Ramapo Police responded to a garbage truck fire on Union Road, just south of Viola Road.

Motorists had called the Ramapo police reporting that a garbage truck was traveling south on Route 45 and the contents of the truck were on fire, however there was no exact location given on the initial calls. About 20 minutes later, the truck had stopped on Union Road, after numerous passing motorists flagged him down and told him his truck was on fire. The driver, identified as Clodoaldo Guimaraes of Park Ridge, New Jersey, stated that he immediately dumped the contents of the truck (Cardboard and recyclables), onto the roadway to prevent further damage to the vehicle.

The Ramapo Highway Dept. responded to the scene with a front loader, to help break up the contents for the fire department. The fire was extinguished by the Hillcrest Fire Department.

Union Road was temporarily shut down between Viola Road and Gilda Court, until the debris was cleared from the Roadway.

The garbage truck was owned by Interstate Waste Management, who sent a container to the scene to clean up the roadway.

There were no injuries as a result of this incident.

(YWN Monsey Newsroom)