Monday April 8th around one thirty in the afternoon 911 calls started to come in for a brush fire at the Mt. Olive Train Station in the International Trade Center a Township City Wide Dispatch was put out bringing Budd Lake and Flanders Fire Companies to that area as Car 50 (Chief Evans) and Car 51 (Asst. Chief Maloney) were approaching Rt. 46 and International Dr. a large column of smoke was coming from behind a tire center, the first due engines were directed to that area as Chief Evans reported a large volume of fire near the train tracks with tires and brush burning Squad 56 and Engine 95 stretched two lines and knocked down the heavy fire in that area. At the same time more calls came in for several more fires in the area. Command called for more mutual aide from other towns to cover fires all along the tracks witch stretched from Netcong to Hackettstown there were 16 fires burning 52 acres with over 75 firefighters working 4 major areas of fire. The New Jersey State Forest Fire Service was at all 4 areas working with different engines, tenders and brush trucks to contain all areas of fire, there was also an Optimum Cable underground vault that was burning that companies had to try to extinguish New Jersey Transit Police also assisted with their Fire Truck that has the capability of running on the railroad tracks witch helped contain fire along hard to get to places along the tracks. Washington Twp. (Schooleys Mtn.), Chester, Stanhope, Byram and Netcong Fire Companies assisted at the scene with the NJ Forest Fire Service and NJ Transit Police. Randolph, Mt. Arlington and Long Valley Fire Companies manned fire houses, Hackettstown Hospital EMS set up two rehab stations with water and the Morris County Fire Coordinator (Chief Jack Alderton) and the NJ Division of Fire Safety were also on scene. A freight train is believed to have started the fires. See other Stories:
