The season’s first brush fire took place Monday near Sayreville Boulevard and the Raritan River.
commotion … for some
BY JOLENE HART
Staff Writer
SAYREVILLE — Even in the midst of a suburban area, nature sometimes runs a dangerous course.
With this in mind, longtime residents of the borough were not surprised when a large brush fire, the season’s first, ignited near Sayreville Boulevard and the Raritan River on Monday evening.
Lifelong Sayreville resident Shirley Dill recalled how brush fires have sparked regularly in and around Sayreville for decades.
"We would say, ‘The meadows are burning,’" Dill said.
She remembers watching from her family’s home on Main Street as brush fires burned near MacArthur Avenue.
"It was all open territory. There were no buildings blocking our view," she said.
With the number of homes built in the area, Dill said she understands the concern about brush fires in residential areas.
The Monday evening fire, reported at about 5:30 p.m. by several residents, claimed about five acres of land before being brought under control, according to Assistant Fire Chief Robert Lasko.
Some residents said that a number of news helicopters flying over the scene caused more commotion than the event itself.
The fire was extinguished in about an hour by Sayreville’s four engine companies, with assistance from the South River Fire Department and the New Jersey Forest Service.
About four brush fires occur in that area each year, Lasko estimated. Nearby homes were blocked by fire trucks and were not close enough to be in danger.