MORRIS COUNTY — A painter’s van caught fire on Route 10 in Randolph near Denville, just past the Mount Pleasant Turnpike, according to the Denville Police Department. The driver had pulled over after noticing smoke and went into a nearby business to seek help, according to Officer Welsch. A passerby spotted the vehicle engulfed in flames and called 911. The incident occurred on Thursday, December 5.
When a Denville police officer arrived at the scene, the van was fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters from Denville and Randolph responded promptly and extinguished the fire. “We arrived to see plumes of black smoke billowing, with the first two officers already directing traffic,” Welsch said. “About ten minutes after we were stopped, the van exploded.”
Budnik added that additional police and ambulance crews arrived shortly before the fire trucks and a tow truck. “Once the firefighters began spraying water, the smoke shifted from black to white and grey,” a witness reported.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
