CHESTER – A Middletown-New Jersey freight train traveling through Orange County apparently sparked brush fires in a series of locations along its route on Monday afternoon.
Orange County Deputy Emergency Services Commissioner for Fire Vini Tankasali
said four sites along the tracks caught fire and kept volunteers busy
for hours. The fires swept from Chester, to Washingtonville, Monroe and
Sugar Loaf, he said.
“Approximately 18 to 20 departments came to assist and were deployed at the different sites, said Tankasali, who estimated 150 firefighters fought the blazes.
All trains were stopped during the firefighting operations. There were no injuries.
County Executive Steven Neuhaus was on the scene at the Chester location.
(Photo: Jim Lennon)
