NJ Firefighters Douse Fire in Mega Mall

A fire broke out in the pre-dawn hours at the American Dream Mall on Saturday, long before the sprawling complex in the Meadowlands opened.

The three-alarm blaze began in the area of the Big Snow ski slope. Firefighters from the Meadowlands on-site fire brigade joined by companies from East Rutherford, Wood-Ridge and other surrounding communities to fight a fire that spread briefly to the exterior of the building.

No one was hurt, authorities said.

State Police, which provide law enforcement services to the American Dream Meadowlands property, said the fire was first reported at 4:15 a.m. inside the Big Snow ski slope.

“The fire was contained to the top of the ski slope and several area fire departments responded to extinguish the fire,” said State Police spokesman Sgt. Alejandro Goez. “The building was unoccupied at the time and there are no injuries reported.”

Goez said a preliminary investigation deemed that the fire was non-suspicious.

East Rutherford Deputy Chief Phillip Taormina, noting that the Meadowlands has its own fire service, said his department was dispatched for mutual aid support.

The massive 3.3-million-square-foot retail and entertainment complex just off the Turnpike in East Rutherford opened in late 2019.

The Big SNOW is an indoor, 16-story, 180,000 square-foot ski and snowboard park that is kept cold by heavy duty chillers that maintain a 28 degree temperature year-round.

The latest and last major section of the megamall opened earlier this month with The Avenue — a collection of high-end retail stores housed in a 300,000 square foot corridor of the complex.

Ted Sherman may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL

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