The Mendham Township Committee, Mendham Township employees, and the entire Mendham community are deeply saddened by the destruction early Wednesday morning (February 24, 2016) of the Pitney Farm homestead main building. We are grateful that the building was unoccupied and that there are no reported injuries. Nevertheless, we are pained by the loss of this historic residence and the pleasant memories it provided to many longtime residents of Mendham Township and the surrounding area.

The community would like to commend and thank the units that responded to the fire in the middle of the night, including Mendham Township Brookside Engine Company No. 1, Mendham Township Ralston Engine Company No. 1, the Mendham Township Police Department, the Mendham Township and Mendham Borough First Aid Squads, and fire companies from Mendham Borough, Chester, Randolph, Peapack and Gladstone, Bernardsville, Morris Plains, New Vernon, Fairmount, Roxbury, and Mount Arlington. We also are grateful to the Morris County Mutual Aid coordinators and the Morris County Air Truck, which is staffed by the Morris Plains Fire Department, as well as the companies that provided coverage at responding firehouses, including Flanders, Morris Township, Bernardsville, and Schooley’s Mountain.

As is routine, the cause of the fire is under investigation, and updates will be posted as new information becomes available.