NJ Firefighters Online Blog-NJ Fire News/Events from around the web

Truck veers off Rte. 55, lands in nearby woods
Friday, July 04, 2008
By Jonathan Vit
jvit@sjnewsco.com
Glouster County Times, http://www.nj.com

DEPTFORD TWP. Crews worked through the afternoon Thursday to remove a wrecked dump truck from the woods alongside Route 55.

The dump truck, driven by Harold Kanady, of Williamstown, blew a tire about 10:30 a.m. around mile marker 57 on Route 55 southbound and left the surface of the highway, traveling some 100 yards down the shoulder.

The truck then barreled through several trees and a fence before spilling its load of gravel and rolling onto its side, police said.

Kanady was able to pull himself from the wrecked truck and walk out of the woods. He was transported to Cooper University Hospital in Camden complaining of back pain.

Buried some 70 feet off the roadway in a wooded area thick with trees and bushes, the overturned dump truck began to leak diesel fuel. Less than 12 feet away a small stream cut through the woods.

Thursday morning, firefighters cut through the brush with chainsaws in an attempt to contain the fuel. Roadside, the air reeked of diesel as lines of slow moving cars snaked past.

The Deptford Township Fire Department put down absorbent pads to soak up the fuel and block off the stream.

“The truck landed right in it,” said Fire Chief Stephen Hubbs of the stream.

The accident caused delays on the shore route as crews worked to pull the overturned dump truck from the woods.

2:45 p.m. Thursday May 29, 2008

Colts Neck Fire Department, Colts Neck EMS and Monmouth County Paramedics are on location at an accident Route 18 and Route 34.

It is reported a truck taking the ramp too fast at Route 34 onto Route 18 North Bound over turned and spilled its entire contents onto Route 18 closing both North and South Bound Lanes.

Its is also reported the driver of the truck is still in the vehicle and the police have requested advance life support for the truck driver.

NEW BRUNSWICK — —Four people were treated for inhaling chemical fumes after a fire broke out at the water treatment plant on Comstock Street this afternoon, authorities said.

Employees at the plant said the fire began when some chemicals accidentally mixed. An attempt to extinguish the fire with water exacerbated the situation, they said.

The Middlesex County Hazardous Materials Unit and fire officials responded.

The fire was extinguished within the hour, authorities said.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008805090350

The Home News

CARTERET — More than 40 people were treated at Carteret High School this morning for symptoms of nausea, scratchy throats and difficulty breathing, authorities said.

The Carteret Fire Department responded to a call at 10 a.m. that several studentswere feeling ill.

The problem appears to have started in the school’s art wing, and the entire third floor was evacuated to the auditorium, while the rest of the school went into lock down.

Carteret emergency personnel treated at least 40 patients, of which around 6 were
teachers. No one required hospitalization.

Emergency medical staff lifted the lockdown at 12:15 p.m. and all classes weredismissed after 12 p.m.

The cause of the illnesses has not yet been determined, according to fire chief Brian O’Connor and the school board will continue to investigate the incident.

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880509047

Smell starts hazmat fear at pharmacy
Friday, May 09, 2008
By CARLY BALDWIN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
HOBOKEN - Fire Department hazardous materials teams responded to reports of a noxious odor and hazy conditions at Willow Pharmacy yesterday afternoon and removed hundreds of bottles of expired medicine, officials said.

Haz-mat teams in yellow and gray suits blocked off the street near the pharmacy, at Ninth and Willow streets, and took the medicine from the basement, officials said.

Though it has not been determined exactly what medicines were involved - they were not labeled - officials believe they may have negatively reacted with water leaking out of a broken water heater.

Officials could not determine which bottles contain hazardous waste, or how much, so all hundred or so bottles were removed from the pharmacy by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

A woman living in an apartment building next door called the Fire Department around 1 p.m. to complain about a noxious odor coming from the drug store.

Originally thinking it was a gas leak, the Fire Department entered the pharmacy basement, where they noticed a haze in the air.

A fire captain also noticed more than 100 old, quart-sized dark medicine bottles that looked empty, officials said. But a few appeared to still contain medicine. Some of the bottle tops had crystallization on them, leading firefighters to think some sort of chemical reaction occurred, said acting Fire Chief Richard Blohm.

Blohm said the haz-mat team believes one of the jars might contain vitamins and another something similar to calamine lotion. The bottles appeared old and their labels were peeling off, said Blohm.

Willow Pharmacy and the rest of the building were temporarily evacuated, as was the apartment building next door.

http://www.nj.com/jjournal/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1210314363314600.xml&coll=3