Traffic on Route 208 Back to Normal Following Dangerous Utility Pole Fire

A smoking electrical pole forced Wyckoff emergency responders to shut down a half-mile stretch of Route 208 in both directions Friday afternoon.

Police suspect that an electrical wire at the top of the utility pole on the northbound side of the highway dipped just far enough to make contact with the pole.

At 10 a.m., an astute commuter on Route 208 called 911 to report that the top of the pole was in flames, according to police.

Police feared that the fire would sever the electrical wire or a guide wire that stretched perpendicular across the busy 4-lane highway.

"All of a sudden you'd have that wire swinging across the highway," said Wyckoff Police Lt. Charlie Van Dyk.

Police initially tied off northbound traffic completely at Grandview Avenue at about 11 a.m., then briefly closed both directions of traffic for about 20 minutes just after noon, before reopening the southbound lanes. Traffic was snarled in both directions for more than an hour.

A PSE&G bucket truck arrive on the scene, extinguishing the fire and securing the wire to another pole.

"It could have been a lot worse than it was," Van Dyk said, adding that the pole where the fire occurred would have to be completely replaced. 

More than a dozen officials from Wyckoff Police, Wyckoff Volunteer Fire, New Jersey Department of Transportation and State Police had arrived on the scene earlier to divert traffic and ensure the safety of motorists.

As southbound lanes reopened at approximately 12:45 p.m., followed immediately by the northbound lanes, the fire and smoke had ceased atop the electrical pole.

One PSE&G cherry picker remained dormant at the foot of the pole Friday afternoon.

There were no injuries during the incident.