Large Brush Fire Along Parkway in Cheesequake State Park Under Control

The approximately 5-acre fire caused state police to close the right lane on the southbound side Thursday morning.

Flames and thick smoke could be seen billowing from Cheesequake State Park by Garden State Parkway commuters Thursday morning as a fire quickly spread through the brush. New Jersey State Police received a call around 9 a.m. alerting them of the fire near the guardrail on the southbound side of the Parkway near milemarker 122. About fifteen minutes later, officers closed the right lane while firefighters from Old Bridge, Laurence Harbor, Cheesequake and Sayreville worked to bring the approximately five acre blaze under control.  The traffic lane was reopened at about 10:30 a.m., according to state police, as fire departments finished up at the scene.  The New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) also responded. Cheesequake State Park …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Authorities Identify Man Killed in Cliffwood House Fire

Fire squads battled a fire Tuesday in a single family home on Edgeview Road, which is located in the Cliffwood section of Aberdeen near Route 35.

Editor's note: This story was last updated on Wednesday, March 20 at 7 p.m. with additional information from authorities. Joseph Otterbine, 79, of Aberdeen succumbed to smoke inhalation Tuesday during a fire that also claimed his single family home in the Cliffwood section of town, Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office Public Information Officer Charles Webster said Wednesday.  The fire at 241 Edgeview Road is believed to be accidental, although the exact cause is yet to be determined. Webster said authorities are unable to rule out cigarettes or lighting material as a possible cause.  Edgeview Road is just off of West Prospect, a popular shortcut between Matawan Road and Route 35. Authorities were alerted to the fire at about 12:43 p.m., …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (4)
• Videos (1)

Hurricane Sandy

STORM: Snow Brings New Outages For Some

Others have had no power at all for 10 days

Gov. Christie told a gathering on Long Beach Island on Wednesday that the coming Nor'easter and anticipated snowfall would likely cause "a setback" in the work underway for full power restoration. Boy, he wasn't kidding. JCP&L, on its website, is acknowledging that the nor'easter has created new outages, often for customers who were hit with outages in the height of Sandy's destructive path, had power restored and are now in the cold darkness yet again. "Late Wednesday, heavy, wet snow and high winds from the nor'easter resulted in approximately 120,000 additional power outages in the Jersey Central Power & Light service territory," says the JCP&L website. The company serves 13 counties in New Jersey, including Monmouth and Ocean. There …

•  14 Comments
• Photos (3)

Fire Destroys Cliffwood Beach Home Sunday Night

The cause of the fire is under investigation at this time, officials say.

Fire ripped through the second-story bedroom of a Cliffwood Beach home Sunday night, only to rekindle and spread through the second floor of the house. According to Cliffwood Vol. Fire Co. Chief Joe Raymond, a fire on Sherwood Drive was reported to the department at about 9 p.m. on Nov. 4. Upon arrival, the fire department found a fire in a bedroom at the front of the house. The fire department was able to contain the fire to the bedroom and extinguish it. They used a thermal camera to check the structure for any remaining hot spots. According to Raymond, none were identified and no smoke was seen. "We were redispatched about 45 minutes later for a rekindling," he said. At about 10:30 p.m., the fire department returned to the seen to …

• Photos (4)

Banana Boat Sunscreen Recalled Due to Fire Risk

The recall includes UltraMist Sport, UltraMist Ultra Defense and UltraMist Kids.

The manufacturer of Banana Boat sunscreen issued a voluntary recall on Friday of nearly half a million sunscreen products after five reports of people catching fire. The voluntary recall will pull 23 different varieties of UltraMist sunscreen off store shelves that run the risk of catching fire if exposed to open flames after applying, according to the manufacturer, Energizer Holdings Inc. "If a consumer comes into contact with a flame or spark prior to complete drying of the product on the skin, there is a potential for the product to ignite," Energizer's press release said. The company believes the issue is with the spray valve, which is larger than the average spray sunscreen bottle. Therefore, the aerosol bottle dispenses more …

• Photos (1)

Buhler's New Car Dealership Site Plan Approved

At a special Planning Board meeting in Hazlet Thursday evening, Buhler & Bitter presented plans for a replacement building following the devastating May 26 fire.

Buhler & Bitter won a vote of approval from the Hazlet Township Planning Board for a new two-story modern structure accented with tall glass windows and polished aluminum as well as improvements to their longtime location on Route 35 South in Hazlet.  The Planning Board voted 8-0 to approve the final site plan, with agreement from Buhler to make some minor design and curb modifications in consultation by the township engineer. On Sept. 6, the adopt a resolution memorializing the decision. "We're very happy" said Garry Foltz, one of the owners, as the meeting ended. His father-in-law Don Buhler, who continues to have an active role in the firm, said, "We're pleased, we worked hard on this plan and we think it's an improvement."  The …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (5)

Fire Destroys Shed at Cliffwood Beach Home

The heat from the flames also melted the home's siding and charred the pool deck.

Donna McCarthy was all set to bring her four children and one of their friends to Lakewood Wednesday morning. Everyone was in the car and before she left, she happened to glance toward her two sheds in the back yard. "I don't know what possessed me to look over but I did and I saw smoke," McCarthy said. She and her oldest son, Bobby, jumped out of the car and ran toward the shed. "We ran halfway through the driveway and it was already up in flames. It was fast," she said, looking off toward the many firefighters and investigators sifting through the ashes left behind. The McCarthy family had two sheds in their backyard, a taller one for storage and tools and a shorter one for everyone's bicycles. The fire reached high temperatures, …

• Photos (7)

Small Utility Pole Fire on Route 79 in Matawan After Storms

Several police cars and fire trucks stood on guard while JCP&L responded to the scene

A small fire burned on a utility pole on Route 79 near Wilson Road in Matawan on Sunday night after a thunderstorm whipped through the area. The Matawan Borough Fire Department, Fire Police and Police Department were on hand to secure the section of roadway while JCP&L responded to the scene at about 9:15 p.m. According to the JCP&L website, fewer than five households report outages in Matawan.

• Photos (3)

Smoke Follows Lightning Strike at Historic Church St. Building in Matawan

Despite early fears the lightning caused the fire, officials say it started in a clogged dryer vent

An early evening lightning strike at the scene of an historic residential building along Church St. in Matawan brought frightened residents out of their homes and prompted a heavy response by fire, police and other emergency units Sunday. The incident was followed by reports of heavy smoke inside the building. No exterior damage to the former school building was visible and fire officials later said they believed the source of the smoke was a clogged dryer vent in the basement of unit four. The vent was resting on a wooden beam which was also began smoldering. "Every apartment had smoke in it," said Donald Mason, Deputy Chief of Matawan Borough Fire Department. A sign outside the sprawling white frame building notes its origins, in 1834, …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (7)
• Videos (1)