Trash fire: Arson, or coincidence? Investigators probe major blaze that took place at controversial dump site just two days after court hearing

North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue officials are continuing their investigation into a four-alarm fire last Sunday morning at a North Bergen trash collection company. The fire occurred just two days after representatives for the company appeared in Hudson County Superior Court to answer charges that the company had been illegally collecting more trash than the township’s laws allow.

On Friday, Patrick and Ronald Stamato, the owners of P&N/SJG Recycling Specialists, appeared with their attorney, David DeClement, in front of Hudson County Superior Court Judge Thomas Olivieri to answer charges from township officials and the Hudson Regional Health Commission (HRHC) that the company was collecting more than the daily capacity of 353 tons. They collect trash from cities in Bergen, Essex and Union counties.

While the township and the HRHC officials requested that Judge Olivieri have P&N totally shut down because they were in apparent violation of their collection permit, a voluntary agreement was reached that P&N would stop collecting any additional trash until they could remove the backlog of accumulated trash that remained at P&N’s Dell Avenue facility.

DeClement told Olivieri that his clients would stop taking on additional trash until they cleaned up the existing trash, a process that he said would take “about a week.”

Two days later

Two days later, a four-alarm fire encompassed the facility, causing extensive damage – but not enough to stop the company from still attempting to move the piles of existing trash.

While officials believe that the fire probably started in a burned-out motor, they have not ruled out the possibility of arson until the entire investigation is completed. More than 40 NHRFR firefighters fought the blaze, which took approximately five hours to extinguish.

North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco said that the fire was just another incident of “something bad waiting to happen.”

“When our people went down there on Friday, they saw some smoldering areas,” Sacco said. “There were separate areas smoldering that were visible, so we figured that there must have been other areas that were also smoldering that were not visible. When the fire broke out, workers tried to put the fire out instead of calling the fire department. That just caused the fire to exacerbate. Luckily, one of our police officers saw the fire and called the fire department to get down there.”

Sacco remains livid at the owners of P&N.

“It my eyes, it’s just pure negligence,” Sacco said. “It was an accident waiting to happen. As it did, it ended in a fire. This facility is filled with garbage to the ceiling. They are responsible for this fire. I don’t know what legal action we can take, but they’re responsible. These people have been horrendously bad neighbors for a long time. We knew that they were not able to handle all the trash they were taking on, and now, we have proof.”

Residents complained

Residents in the area have complained about an odor that comes from the facility. They have also complained about alleged rodents and insects, as well as standing water that allegedly remains on the street for days on end.

On Tuesday, a reporter examining the area found major piles of trash that were only covered by a flimsy blue tarpaulin, mounds of old tires left in a pile, and countless piles of other debris. The smell was nauseating and the standing water was everywhere.

“It’s downright disgusting,” said Edward Bannion, who lives only a block away from the facility. “The stink is constant. It comes through the windows, into my home. We can never open a window. There are rats all over the place. Some even come into my yard. It’s horrendous. I hope there’s something that can be done, because I can’t live like this.”

Bannion said that several of his neighbors have contacted the state Department of Community Affairs to see if something can be done about the site.

“It never gets better,” Bannion said. “It only gets worse.”

When P&N was called for comment, a woman said that neither of the Stamato brothers would speak to the media. Calls to DeClement went unreturned by press time.

Sacco said that the court ruling last Friday was a victory, because P&N is no longer able to collect trash until they get rid of the existing collections.

“The judge is right on top of it,” Sacco said. “For him to stop them from taking on more trash is a victory for us. As terrible as this thing has been for us, this fire might be a blessing to show how right North Bergen has been in fighting this company. This fire might have been a blessing in disguise.”

The permit

P&N was originally given a permit by the township in 1985 to collect only recyclables, but has since expanded its services to include collecting solid waste for the last five years. The existing permit can be revoked if the changes aren’t made.

Under federal Department of Environmental Protection laws, the facility is required to totally clean and clear its tipping floor every 24 hours, and to ship the waste to landfills or approved disposal sites.

But the township and the HRHC concur that P&N is not complying with federal rules.

The matter was first heard by Olivieri in Superior Court Sept. 8, when the judge issued a temporary restraining order, requiring P&N to properly clean up the site and comply with the rules of the DEP permit.

However, during testimony last week, Anthony Molinaro, a senior officer for the HRHC, testified that P&N had not properly cleaned its tipping floor since Sept. 18 and that more than 3,500 tons of trash had been spotted on the site.

Richard Censullo, the township’s health director, testified that there were “huge mounds” of household trash sitting at the site, saying that a “fire was waiting to happen,” in a “huge mountain of debris,” that was smoldering and on the verge of combustion from the heat generated by decomposition.

Not over

The parties will appear in front of Olivieri Monday morning to see if the necessary improvements have been made.

Sacco knows that the battle is far from over.

“The battle had to be fought, but now, the battle needs to be won,” Sacco said. “I think it’s to the point that the proper agencies realize how bad it is. It’s not over yet, because we’re headed back to court, but I think we’re well coordinated with the proper agencies. I’m sure we’ll be in court many times over this, but the more the judge sees that they’re not complying, the more he’ll realize that this place has to be closed.”

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