More than 50 firefighters responded to a blaze that destroyed the offices of Operating Engineers Local 183 on Deans Rhode Hall Road Friday morning, police said.
By: Joseph Harvie
Lightning was the cause of a fire that destroyed the offices of Operating Engineers Local 183 on Deans Rhode Hall Road early Friday morning, police said.
Police said no one was injured in the blaze. More than 50 firefighters from area departments responded bringing with them 18 trucks and apparatuses, police said.
The Monmouth Junction Fire Department was the first to arrive after being notified by an alarm company that a smoke detector had gone off at the facility at 2:42 a.m., police said. The firefighters found the offices already engulfed in flames and heavy smoke was coming from the building, police said.
The Monmouth Junction department then put out a call for mutual aid from neighboring departments, because there is no fire hydrant near the facility and firefighters needed to use tanker trucks to supply water, police said.
The fire was brought under control in about 45 minutes with firefighters remaining on location until 6:30 a.m. checking for hot spots, police said.
Firefighters from the Cranbury, Jamesburg, Kendall Park and Helmetta fire departments responded, as did the Brookview Fire Company from East Brunswick, South Old Bridge Fire Department, from Old Bridge and the Monroe Fire Districts 2 and 3, police said.

