By Jacqueline Durett
Correspondent
SAYREVILLE — A three-alarm brush fire that ran along the Conrail train tracks last week was actually four separate fires, according to Borough Fire Chief George Gawron.
“They were all related,” he said, “but just different locations.”
How many acres the fires consumed is still being determined by the fire-prevention department, Gawron said. However, firefighters were positioned on April 21 along a two- to three-mile-long stretch along parts of Bordentown Avenue and nearby streets.
Gawron said firefighters were stationed on Miara Street, behind the Dance Stop dance studio on Bordentown Avenue, on Pinetree Drive, at the water tower on Bordentown Avenue and on Vernon Street.
Gawron said the call for the fires came in at 1:48 p.m., and firefighters battled the blazes until 4:45 p.m.
While the fires did not cause any injuries, they did threaten homes and cause property damage to one residence on Vernon Street.
“It burned the backside of the house,” Gawron said, adding that the home is still livable.
According to the borough police department, two homes on Deborah Street, which intersects with Vernon, had some melted siding.
Near the fire sites is the Julian L. Capik Nature Preserve, but Gawron said the local park was not affected. On social media, some residents expressed concern for the horses at nearby Legacy Riding Stables, but a representative for the stables responded that while the stable staff prepared the horses for evacuation, it was not necessary.
Gawron said many local fire departments assisted in fighting the fire; the farthest department assistance came from New Brunswick, which provided station coverage, as did Old Bridge, South Amboy and Perth Amboy. In addition, the New Jersey Forest Service assisted with water-dropping aircraft.
This has been the most substantial fire the borough has had in recent years; Gawron said he could not immediately remember the last time there was a three-alarm fire in Sayreville. The brush fire came just two days after a house fire in the Melrose section of the borough.
“We’re in a high fire-danger time of year,” he said.
The cause of the brush fires is under determination, Gawron said. However, he stressed that people need to be especially vigilant when it comes to properly discarding cigarettes; for example, they should never be tossed out of car windows.
“People need to be more careful,” he said.