Vincent Fire Company Responded to Route 206 Line Fire

Vincentown, N.J. — September 25 — Vincent Fire Company Station 171 responded around 10:12 p.m. on September 25 to Route 206 near Mile Marker 21 for a reported transformer fire. Deputy Chief 17101, Rescue Engine 1712, and Tender 1716 arrived at the scene and discovered that a tree had brought down three spans of electrical lines. Several fires were burning along the road near the damaged lines.

Due to the presence of energized electrical equipment and downed power lines, which posed a danger, firefighters remained at the scene while PSE&G crews worked to disconnect the electricity.

Firefighters waited for about two hours before starting fire suppression efforts.

Once the power was turned off, Vincent Fire Company put out the remaining fires and carried out overhaul operations along the road.

The response required close coordination between the fire department and the utility company to ensure firefighters could safely operate around the damaged electrical system.

Downed power lines continued to be a major risk for emergency personnel.

The National Fire Protection Association recommended that firefighters should consider all downed electrical wires as live and keep a safe distance until the utility company confirmed that the power had been fully disconnected.(nfpa.org) 

Vincent Fire Company, based at 16 Race Street in Vincentown, continued to offer fire protection and emergency response services to the surrounding community.