Firefighters from Three Counties Battle Large Mulch Fire on Broadway Road

Firefighters from three counties extinguished a large mulch fire on Broadway Road this morning.  The blaze was difficult to get under control due to the high winds currently wreaking havoc on the area, authorities said.

The call came in at 5:26 a.m. this morning reporting a fire at Reliable Wood Products, located at 234 Broadway Road, which is about 500-feet from the entrance of Rowland Park.  The Monmouth Junction Fire Department responded and discovered three large mulch piles in flames.  The mulch was about one acre in length and stood about 30-feet high.  Police said the cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

"The high winds made it very difficult to keep this fire contained to the property," said police spokesman Sgt. James Ryan.  "The chief concern was that this fire would spread to the woods nearby."

Firefighters quickly realized the high winds were driving the flames towards the nearby forest, Sgt. Ryan said.  He added that the location of the fire being in the more rural portion of South Brunswick meant water sources were limited. 

The Monmouth Junction Fire Department was joined by the Kendall Park Fire Department and the Middlesex County Fire Tanker Task Force, which was assigned to assist with fire suppression efforts.  Also assisting were firefighters from Manalapan, Laurence Harbor and Little Rocky Hill.

"The firefighters said the blaze was unbelievably high," Sgt. Ryan said.

About 50 firefighters fought the fire for three to four hours.  The New Jersey State Forest Fire Service also extinguished several hot spots that were in the nearby forest, police said.  As of 9:30 a.m. the scene was clear of emergency responders.  No injuries were suffered.

A Reliable Wood Products employee at the scene said the fire was made worse by the high winds, which had gusts up to 60 m.p.h.  Authorities are still working to determine the cause.

Sgt. Ryan said the high winds have also knocked down several trees throughout the township on Saturday.   The downed trees caused some power outages along Route 535, as power companies were working to fix the problems, police said.