By Amy Batista, Special Writer
Brush and mulch fires sprung up throughout the area during the spring followed by fires that brought a house to the ground in a dense neighborhood and a fiery — fatal — crash on the New Jersey Turnpike.
SIGNIFICANT
Fires of 2012
April 9 — A barn fire on Cedarville Road; one baby goat was killed.
April 14 — An office building on Route 571 caught fire.
May 29 — A Bristol Way home, in a dense East Windsor neighborhood, caught on fire after midnight as local volunteer firefighters rushed to the scene less than 24 hours after marching in the 93rd annual Hightstown-East Windsor Memorial Day Parade on May 28.
September 11 — New Jersey Turnpike fatal fire involving a box truck and tractor-trailer near Exit 8.
November 2 — A barn fire on Windsor-Perrineville Road.
“The fires that you picked all, unfortunately, had sad endings with the loss of property and life, but I can honestly say that, looking back at the scope of the fires and the amount of fire departments involved, that every firefighter and fire officer as well as police officers rose to the challenge every time, giving 100 percent on every job,” said Chief Barry Rashkin of the East Windsor Volunteer Company No. 2.
He added, “That’s the reason the losses were, although unfortunate, not any worse and not as bad as they all could have turned out.”
Approximately 5:45 a.m. April 9, smoke from a fire filled the predawn sky as a barn was engulfed in flames at 240 Cedarville Road. As reported, a baby goat was killed.
Deputy Fire Chief Eric Coran, of East Windsor Volunteer Company No. 2, said approximately 50 firefighters responded from 10 companies.
”It took roughly 40 men to fully extinguish the fire and no more than 20 men to handle the brush fire, which the state Forest Fire Service responded to assist,” he said, adding firefighters cleared the scene at approximately 7:30 a.m.
According to the East Windsor Police Department, the cause of the fire was determined to be a heating lamp that fell and ignited hay inside the barn.
”The Cedarville Road fire was sad as the baby goat — that perished — was a family pet,” Chief Rashkin said on Dec. 12.
”The challenges for this fire was that the structure was set back from the main road and was close to the family house,” Chief Rashkin said. “There are no fire hydrants in the area so the water supply had to be brought in by tanker trucks.
He said large diameter hoses were used to bring water to the fire.
”Since the fire was close to the family home, the firefighters also had to protect the home from burning up — due to the radiant heat generated from the main fire — with additional hose lines,” he said.
On April 14, at 5:26 p.m., an East Windsor office building at 339 Princeton-Hightstown Road — Route 571 — caught fire.
East Windsor Township police said that upon the arrival of first responders, heavy fire was observed on the rear exterior portion of the building. There were no occupants in the building as the business was closed for the weekend.
The investigation indicated it was caused by smoldering mulch near the main entry at the back of the building, according to Chief Kevin Brink of the East Windsor Volunteer Fire Company No. 1.
That evening, Chief Brink said Deputy Chief James McCann was traveling on Route 571 to a brush fire in Princeton — happening concurrently — when he saw the fire taking place at the East Windsor office, known as Building A in the complex.
Approximately 50 firefighters responded from both East Windsor fire companies as well as from Cranbury, West Windsor, Plainsboro, Robbinsville, Monroe and Princeton Junction stations.
They were on the scene for a “good three hours,” according to Chief Brink.
”The greatest challenge at Princeton-Hightstown Road was the lack of public water to that area,” Chief Brink said Dec. 13. “That part of Princeton-Hightstown Road has no public water.”
As for preventing fires, Chief Brink said, “The biggest thing is just to be careful — especially with those careless cigarette butts.”
Twenty-nine firefighters arose from their sleep to answer a 12:59 a.m. dispatch call to 11 Bristol Way — less than 24 hours after marching in the 93rd annual Hightstown-East Windsor Memorial Day Parade on May 28.
The raging two-alarm fire completely destroyed the East Windsor house and brought many concerned, nearby residents to the scene.
There were no injuries, and firefighters were able to contain the blaze before it engulfed the neighboring homes.
”These flames were 15 feet in the air,” said Chief Brink of Station 42. “We were only minutes away from (other) houses catching on fire.”
Twenty volunteer firefighters from East Windsor Volunteer Company No. 1, Station 42, fought the blaze along with approximately 30 firefighters from neighboring departments.
It was a fire that generated posts on social media, criticizing local response time.
”They put their lives in jeopardy,” Chief Brink said of his firefighters.
Shortly after midnight Sept. 11, local firefighters fought a deadly blaze on the New Jersey Turnpike, which occurred in the southbound lane, nearly 1 mile north of Exit 8 underneath the Wykcoffs Mills Road bypass.
Phillip Frey, 33, of Toms River, died after the truck he was driving rear-ended a UPS tractor-trailer at approximately 12:30 a.m., according to Sgt. Adam Grossman.
The incident closed the Turnpike for about six hours from 12:30 to 6:15 a.m. that Tuesday.
”The Turnpike fire was one of the larger incidents on the New Jersey Turnpike this year,” said Hightstown Engine Co. No. 1 Chief Larry Van Kirk in an email Dec. 12.
”Problems with this incident were water availability and limited access (to the site),” Chief Van Kirk said. “Water had to be brought in by tankers.”
The East Windsor Volunteer Fire Company No. 2, Station 46, responded to another barn fire on Nov. 2. “The barn fire on Windsor Perrineville Road was a structure built in the 1800s and was constructed of all wood,” Chief Rashkin said. “This was a fast-moving fire, which was well involved when the first in fire crews from Station 46 arrived . . . (Everyone) did an exceptional job in stopping it from spreading to the main house.”
According to Chief Rashkin, the owners of the home and barn were asleep and were awakened and evacuated by East Windsor police officers and Deputy Chief Coran.
The East Windsor and Hightstown fire companies answered hundreds of fire calls this past year.
”As of right now, we have run 450 calls,” Chief Van Kirk said on Dec 12.
”We now have placed in service a 14-foot inflatable boat,” he said, in reference to being able to handle water or ice rescues on Peddie Lake, or on township bodies of water.
Hightstown Engine Company No. 1 has 40 active members and 20 Ladies Auxiliary members, according to Chief Van Kirk.
East Windsor Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 has 42 active members and 12 Ladies Auxiliary members, according to Chief Brink. The department responded to a total of 478 as of the morning of Dec. 14.
East Windsor Volunteer Fire Company No. 2 has 18 active members, according to Chief Rashkin. The department responded to a total of 274 calls as of the evening of Dec. 12.
”I would always like the readers to know that we are all volunteers and always need their help and support,” Chief Brink said.
Volunteers can join or donate, he said.
He added, “Every member is dedicated to the mission of providing great fire protection to the residents of East Windsor and our neighboring towns.”

