SOUTH BRUNSWICK – All three South Brunswick fire companies – Monmouth Junction, Kingston and Kendall Park – along with Monroe Fire District 3, Jamesburg, Plainsboro and North Brunswick Volunteer Fire Co. No. 2 battled a fire at the Sonoco warehouse.
More than 50 firefighters responded to the two-alarm fire at 5 Stults Road around 7 p.m. Feb. 19, according to information provided by the South Brunswick Police Department.
Firefighters from East Brunswick’s Old Bridge and Brookview fire companies, Griggstown and Montgomery Township covered the empty South Brunswick stations.
“Firefighters encountered frozen hydrants on the property and on Stults Road, and had to use tankers from Cranbury, Jamesburg, Plainsboro and Monroe to supply water to fight the fire,” Monmouth Junction Fire Chief Scott Smith said in the statement.
The fire involved the finished cardboard canisters manufactured by the facility which were stored on plastic pallets and shrink-wrapped, then stacked three pallets high, according to the statement.
“Fortunately the sprinkler system and fire pump contained the fire to several stacks of the palletizing goods. Unfortunately, the fire and water caused several pallets to collapse, making it difficult for firefighters to locate and extinguish the seat of the fire,” Smith said in the statement.
Firefighting crews had to be rotated frequently due to the manpower intensive efforts to reach the seat of the fire, which was approximately 300 feet deep into the warehouse, according to the statement.
A heavy smoke condition further complicated efforts, and took several hours to ventilate using large trailer-mounted fans from the Edison and Millstone Valley fire departments, according to the statement.
Firefighters remained on scene for several hours. Monmouth Junction First Aid Squad and North Brunswick First Aid and Rescue Squad were on scene but no injuries were reported, according to the statement.
The fire is under investigation by the South Brunswick Township Fire Safety Bureau.