Blaze re-ignites in Washington woods
By MICHAEL RATCLIFFE
Staff Writer, Trenton Times, http://www.nj.com
10/26/01
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP -- Dry weather and winds gusting above 40 mph yesterday helped rekindle and spread a major fire in a wooded area off Route 33 at the Hamilton border that kept firefighters from four counties busy for nine hours Thursday.
Township firefighters returned to the scene around 11 a.m. after smoke again was seen coming from the heavily wooded area between Route 33 in Washington and Peter Rafferty Drive in Hamilton and were still there at press time.
One firefighter suffered an eye injury and another had an allergic reaction to a bee sting, officials said.
More than 100 firefighters from the area were called to help battle the hard-to-reach blaze.
Firefighters said yesterday's wind spread the fire to an area larger than Thursday's blaze.
Thursday's fire was reported at 3:19 p.m. Firefighters, helped by a state Forest Fire Service helicopter that dropped water on the flames, worked until about midnight.
Yesterday, bulldozers were used to clear paths through the woods for firefighting apparatus.
Assisting Washington firefighters yesterday were crews from Hamilton, West Windsor, East Windsor, Lawrence, Ewing, Millstone, Monroe, Bordentown and Burlington townships, and Allentown.