EDISON – Fire officials were able to control the burning of approximately 60 acres of unoccupied field at the former Kin-Buc landfill adjacent to the industrial area between Old Post and Meadow roads.
The fire started at 11:30 a.m. on July 5, according to Cassidy Grom, policy and communications coordinator in Edison. Fire officials said they were not clear how the fire began, but they decided the best course of action was to allow the fire to burn in a controlled setting.
Officials evacuated about 35 people working in a warehouse at 100 Sawmill Road around 3 p.m. for precaution, according to Grom.
Edison Police Captain Ken Schreck said, “no one was sick.” However, smoke had started coming through the ventilation systems and created poor air quality.
The Edison Fire Department, Edison Police Department, Middlesex County Fire Marshall, Sayreville Fire Department, East Brunswick Fire Department and the New Jersey State Park Fire Department responded to the fire.
Deputy Fire Chief Andy Toth, who is also the township’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) coordinator, said they don’t suspect any “suspicious activity” at this time.
“It’s really dry today; it was likely started by the sun igniting some brush,” he said.
The fire caused no danger to any residents or structures, officials said.
Mayor Sam Joshi, in a social media post, said he assessed the fire on scene and thanked officials from the New Jersey Forestry Division, Middlesex Hazmat and Fire Marshalls, East Brunswick and Sayreville fire departments for their mutual aid on the scene.