Rutherford,NJ, near NJ Tpike- Brush Fire 3-27-06

[Guest]

credit WABC TV NY

Big brush fire burning

Eyewitness News

(Rutherford-WABC, March 27, 2006) -

A brush fire burned through grass along the New Jersey Turnpike in Rutherford, sending plumes of smoke into the sky.

The fire was burning near the southbound western spur of the Turnpike, near Interchange 16W.

Eyewitness News is told the flames are not far from some train tracks, but there was no indication Monday afternoon that it was having any impact on NJ Transit trains.

[Guest]

credit: WABC TV NY

[mfc2257 464]

I used to live in Hoboken for a year and have an office in Secaucus (at exit 16w)right by where all of that is going down. There are usually a few really bad brush fires there each year.

Although it's only a hypothesis, I think that much of the old swamp land that was there has been modified with drainage channels, thus leaving vast tracts of open land full of dead vegatation close to the NJT, Freight, & Amtrac lines. Sparks from passing trains are often the cause of brush fires nation wide.

In the summer of 2001 there was a HUGE brush fire in the same spot that turned the whole Secaucus, North Bergan, Jersey City Heights area black and smokey for an afternoon.

[CAM502 6]

Just curious...How far is this from the river? Today, I think it was on the Manhattan Freq., I heard a Batt call to report he could see a large column of smoke rising from NJ. This must have been what he saw.

[mfc2257 464]

Go through the Lincoln Tunnel and around the helix ramp that puts you up on I495... You'll go about 1.5 miles through the pit (kinda like the cross bronx) and Union City and when you clear the I495 trench this is right in front of you.

Total distance from the Hudson River is no more than 2-3 miles...

I could be wrong but even though the article says Rutherford, it's probably Secaucus if it's right at exit 16w. If it's really in Secaucus the agencies operating are probably Secaucus (Volunteer), East Ruthaford (volunteer), NHRFR, PAPD, Jersey City, Hoboken, Kearney, Harrison, North Arlington (volunteer), and others for mutual aid depending on how big it really got.

Edited March 27, 2006 by mfc2257

[Guest]

Brush fires hit around the region

Eyewitness News

(Rutherford-WABC, March 27, 2006) -

Brush fires hit all over our area Monday afternoon. Newscopter Seven has been tracking these fires from New Jersey to Staten Island.

Shannon Sohn reported from over Staten Island, and says one of the larger blazes has hit in the Travis section and as of 5:00 p.m. had been burning out of control for over an hour.

The good news there: A creek bordering the fire to the east is keeping it from getting very far. It was causing some slowdowns on the West Shore Expressway.

Another fire in Edison had been burning for three hours or more as of 5:00 p.m. It struck on the Raritan Center Parkway near Clover Road. Eyewitness News is told some mobile homes and some tractor trailers have been hit by the flames, and crews are fighting it from several angles.

Yet another brush fire could be seen burning near Plainfield late Monday afternoon.