The fires, which caused no injuries, are still under investigation, but police said they believe they were started by sparks from a train
By: John Tredrea
Powder-dry dust along the CSX railroad tracks in Hopewell Township burst into flame Tuesday afternoon and was spread rapidly by gusting winds.
The fires, which caused no injuries, are still under investigation, but police said they believe they were started by sparks from a train that had passed through shortly before the fires were reported at 4:30 p.m.
"It’s not uncommon for fires to start that way," Lt. Bruce Carnall said Wednesday morning. "Metal wheels on metal tracks can cause sparking. The brush is dry and the wind was up."
Fires were reported at several locations along the CSX tracks. "There were two fires on the tracks east of Merrill Lynch’s office park," Lt. Carnall said. Other fires were reported near Van Dyke Road, Stony Brook Road and Route 31. Railroad service on the CSX line was shut down until about 7 p.m. because of the fires.
Fighting the fires were the Hopewell, Pennington, Union (from Titusville), West Trenton and Pennington Road fire companies, with the help of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. Brush fires also were reported in several other areas of the state, including Middlesex and Sussex counties.