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EDISON - At approximately 12:30 p.m. on Friday, January 27, Edison firefighters were dispatched for a report of a brush fire just south of the Expo Center in the Raritan Center (an Edison business complex north of the Raritan River).

Upon arrival of responding units, an acre-size fire was burning in the northwest corner of a square-mile stretch of relatively vacant land. However, within half-an-hour what was just one head (an advancing body of fire) burning would quickly became three distinct heads, with one becoming the most dominate.

By this time Edison Fire Department's Deputy Chief Ambrosio had assumed command and several brush trucks were out near the perimeter(s) attempting to control the three advancing fires.

The Middlesex County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) was activated and resources were tapped to provide "pumpers", brush trucks and manpower.

According to Chief of the Department Campbell, "After many years of dealing with fires out here we've come to know what to expect. In the direction of the fire's advance is the Raritan River. The only thing to burn between here and there is the grassland and old World War I Army munitions bunkers (Butler buildings), most of which are in severe disrepair. To fight the fire around those empty bunkers presents too much of a safety concern to send men out there."

While the fire burned its way east, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) was contacted with a request for a helicopter to make air drops on the fire. As command awaited the arrival of NJFFS resources, mutual aid engines with foam capability were assembled for a journey along Marsh Road for some proactive suppression efforts.

A U.S. Coast Guard boat and an unidentified fireboat were in the Raritan River at the eastern perimeter of the open area.

Early in the firefight, DC Ambrosio took a look at the fireground from the aerial platform of Truck 1, allowing for a more thorough picture of the fireground.

Staging and command were set up adjacent to one another, in the southern-most area of the Expo Center's parking lot. Too, a small area of the parking lot would serve as a heli-spot for the soon to arrive Huey and a small "spotter" helicopter.

NJFFS's B25 arrived and its crew of four immediately headed to the field to assess the growing fire. B37 arrived and its crew stood by while NJFFS Section 10's Section Warden Reith and Edison's DC Ambrosio went up in the "spotter" helo for a bird's-eye view of the fireground. The Huey arrived and went to work pulling buckets of water from the Raritan River to drop on the main body of fire and surrounding areas.

As dusk fell, the helicopters had to return to base; just before one of the burning heads made its way to an outbuilding which contained tires. Once ignited, thick black plumes of smoke rose above
the area.

Section Warden Reith and DC Ambrosio took a ride up on Truck 1's platform to, again, assess the fire (mainly to see if fire had jumped its perimeter). Upon return to the ground, a decision was made to light some back-fires; effectively burning away all combustibles, and starving the bigger fire(s).

Around 7 p.m. crews moved out to light the back-fires. By morning the fire was controlled and hot spots were contended with. In all, near 300 acres were scorched.

Some of the organizations that lent assistance at the scene were South Old Bridge, Sayreville, Monroe, Piscataway, East Brunswick, South River and Highland Park fire departments; Middlesex County HazMat; PSE&G (electric company); New Jersey State Police; and a representative from the New Jersey State Fire Marshal's Office. In all, over 100 responders worked the incident, thanks in large part to the efforts of the Middlesex County OEM.

Large intact ribbons of smoke from this event drifted as far south as 40 miles.

Please view the video entitled "150-acre fire occupies firefighters in Edison's Raritan Center..."