Camp
Glen Gray Camp
Glen Gray Troop 7 Cabin (Tupper Lodge)
Sadly, a brush fire that started around the area of the Council Fire Ring spread up the hill and burned both the Troop 7 cabin and its cook shack.
About 3:30 PM, Thursday afternoon, October 25, 2001, smoke was spotted at Glen Gray from a Fire Tower in the Ramapo Mountain Range.
State Forest Fire Services arive within an hour to an hour and a half later to assess the direction that the fire is moving and the ways to combat it.
They reached the Troop 7 Cabin (prior to the pumper's arrival) while fire was encroaching and did what they could. However, without water the fire quickly spread all around the cabins and burnt them to the ground within 15 Minutes. They did get some propane canisters out and placed them on rocks prior to the fire reaching the cabin.
The pumpers arrive and hoses are hooked up and are used to extinguish the fire in the forest, however the cabin was reduced to ash at this point.
Later a Fire Helicopter arrived and dumped twenty-three, 300 gallon loads of water onto the fire which put it out except for dozens of smaller fires which were being put out by the ground fire men.
By 4:30 PM, Friday there was nothing left except for the chimney, concrete footings, a cast iron stove and some scraps of metal.
The area burned covered a 20-40 acre plot and did not burn down or even damage any other structures other than the Troop 7 Cabins.
The area burned was by no means a total loss. Most of the trees are still standing, even many of the dead ones. All of the saplings and brush under 3 feet were incinerated.
The source of the initial flame is unknown, however all parties agree that the fire started within yards of the Old Council Ring and moved up the mountain.
The fire fighters continued to patrol the hillside to put out the scores of small fires and did so for many days after the initial fire was spotted.
Troop 7 Cabin, also known as Tupper Lodge, belonged to Troop 7 of Upper Montclair.
Members of Troop 7 are shown posing in happier days.
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Last updated: February 14, 2006