A two-alarm fire tore through a vacant, one-story ranch home on the 200 block of Taft Road in River Edge Sunday morning, sending one firefighter to the hospital and prompting a hazmat response after crews found lithium-ion batteries inside. Firefighters responded around 9:40 a.m. and found heavy fire coming from the rear of the home, according to initial reporting.
Crews searched the house and used two hose lines to knock down most of the flames, as reported by News12 New Jersey. The fire was raised to a second alarm, bringing additional firefighters from Oradell, New Milford, Hackensack and Paramus to assist. Local police told Independent Online News that the home was vacant and undergoing renovation at the time, and that a hot tub wire at the rear of the property may have sparked the blaze — though the fire department has not said whether that or the batteries played a role in starting the fire, and the official cause was not immediately known as of Sunday afternoon.
Firefighter Treated for Dehydration, Expected to Recover
One firefighter was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries, and officials reported no other injuries. The same station's report identifies the injury as dehydration, with the firefighter treated at Hackensack University Medical Center and expected to fully recover. Emergency medical support and hydration services at the scene were provided by Holy Name Medical Center BLS/ALS units and the County Wide Canteen Unit, per the same account.
The multi-agency response reflects the region's established mutual-aid structure. River Edge operates under a formal Triboro mutual-aid agreement with Oradell and New Milford fire and ambulance departments, an arrangement that also extends emergency assistance to Paramus and Hackensack, according to the Borough of River Edge. The all-volunteer River Edge Volunteer Fire Department, which operates out of two firehouses housing Companies 1 and 2, traces its origins to August 1900, when it was organized following a major fire at the local railroad station, per the department's own history.
Hazmat Crews Called Over Lithium-Ion Batteries
The Bergen County Hazmat Team was called to the scene because several lithium-ion batteries were found inside the home, and the specialized unit assisted firefighters with safely removing and handling them.
The battery hazard at Taft Road arrives as New Jersey lawmakers and municipalities have been sharpening rules around lithium-ion storage and disposal. The New Jersey Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee approved legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese in February 2025 to set statewide safety and manufacturing standards for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and motorized e-bikes, according to New Jersey Assembly Democrats. Camden City Council passed its own local ordinance in April 2025 regulating the storage, handling, and safety certification of lithium-ion batteries following a major scrapyard fire in South Camden, as reported by WHYY. More recently, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Battery Management Act will require producer-funded battery management plans and bar the disposal of propulsion lithium-ion batteries in state landfills starting in January 2027.
River Edge, a Bergen County borough of about 12,049 residents packed into 1.83 square miles, remains a largely residential community where a working structure fire draws heavily on neighboring departments. Sunday's blaze illustrates how a routine house fire can quickly become a multi-agency operation once batteries or other hazardous materials are found inside, a challenge fire officials across the state have increasingly had to plan around as the devices become more common in homes.
