The Jersey Journal

KEARNY, N.J. — A four-alarm brush fire raged for several hours yesterday in the Meadowlands near the New Jersey Turnpike.

The fire broke out shortly before 10 a.m. and burned over several acres between the Passaic River to the south and Route 508 to the north, Kearny Firefighter Michael Kaywork said. The blaze was also bounded by Route 280 and the New Jersey Turnpike.

Strong winds made the fire difficult to control and a pall of smoke could be seen for miles around. The fire was declared under control at 2:40 p.m., but firefighters remained through the afternoon to douse any hot spots.

Firefighters from Belleville, East Newark, Harrison, Secaucus, North Arlington, Jersey City, Kearny, Lyndhurst and the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue helped fight the fire or covered neighboring firehouses.

One firefighter was treated for minor injuries, authorities said.

But PATH service between Newark and Journal Square in Jersey City was suspended on two separate occasions because the fire was burning near the tracks, said Steve Coleman, a Port Authority spokesman.