OT-Huge Fire in North Brunswick

[Knight Shift]

Auto Body Shop and warehouses on Livingston Avenue

Smoke can be seen for quite distance away.

http://www.app.com/story/news/local...7/22/warehouse-fire-north-brunswick/30502405/

 

[Skull83]

We can still see the smoke from my office in Newark.

 

[Saint Puppy]

Live in North Brunswick right next to condo complex that was just evacuated. Wind changes and we will be evacuated too - super thick smoke that we can see out or window that is just never ending.

 

[RU4Real]

 

[RU4Real]

 

[BROTHERSKINNY]

Auto Body Shop and warehouses on Livingston Avenue

Smoke can be seen for quite distance away.

http://www.app.com/story/news/local...7/22/warehouse-fire-north-brunswick/30502405/

Saw the smoke from the driscoll bridge on my way to work this am.

 

[Ronnie_B]

 

[derleider]

Wow. That is impressive. I saw a picture online, where the smoke deck was crazy visible all the way down in Lanoka Harbor.

 

[Knight Shift]

 

[WhiteBus]

Firefighters can't get enough water on it to make an impact so now they are just going to let it burn out according to ABC News

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

saw the smoke on the train this morning. crazy!

 

[Ronnie_B]

What in the hell is in those warehouses besides cars??

 

[RC1978]

My son is fighting that fire, been there since 2am. If he took any photos I will post them.

 

[Knight Shift]

 

[RUevolution36]

What in the hell is in those warehouses besides cars??

Some sort of plastics factory/warehouse is housed there also

 

[Piscataway]

Some sort of plastics factory/warehouse is housed there also

Well that will do it.

 

[Extra Point]

I think it was already under control when I took this, about 12 miles away.

 

[scarlet night]

That pic is from downtown New Brunswick

 

[RutgersRaRa]

Question to firefighters: Does water, when poured on a petroleum- and polymer-based fire, always make the smoke a lighter color? When water turns to steam it's white, and the pic that 4Real posted made me wonder if there's ever an exception to this. Also, just as oil and water separate from one another when poured into each other, does the smoke/vapor of each tend to separate into similar-molecular plumes?

 

[RU848789]

Question to firefighters: Does water, when poured on a petroleum- and polymer-based fire, always make the smoke a lighter color? When water turns to steam it's white, and the pic that 4Real posted made me wonder if there's ever an exception to this. Also, just as oil and water separate from one another when poured into each other, does the smoke/vapor of each tend to separate into similar-molecular plumes?

Off the top of my head, I would think the water from fire engines would lighten up the color of the smoke at least somewhat for the reason you're suggesting. When water is applied to fire it will heat up and vaporize into steam, which is invisible; however, when that steam cools a bit and condenses, one then sees the white clouds of condensate (not actually steam - that's a misnomer). I would think that would dilute the usual black color of most carbonaceous fires (gas, wood, plastics, etc. usually burn black, as the incomplete combustion produces soot and other organics, in addition to CO2 and water, which are the colorless products of complete combustion) to some extent, depending on the amount of water and the amount of burning fuel.

 

[RU4Real]

In my experience watching lots of fires as an EMT, it seems that water poured on fires in sufficient quantities so as to have any effect always makes steam and turns the smoke a lighter color.

The situation for most of today with this fire was that they couldn't get anywhere near enough water on it to make a difference. They called for a Neptune system about an hour ago.

 

[Piscataway]

In my experience watching lots of fires as an EMT, it seems that water poured on fires in sufficient quantities so as to have any effect always makes steam and turns the smoke a lighter color.

The situation for most of today with this fire was that they couldn't get anywhere near enough water on it to make a difference. They called for a Neptune system about an hour ago.

What is a Neptune system?

 

[RU848789]

What is a Neptune system?

High volume water cannon...

http://www.nj.com/union/index.ssf/2...new_jersey_fought_seaside_boardwalk_fire.html

 

[RUevolution36]

What will be the water source for this system? The Raritan? there isn't any large body of water nearby...

 

[RC1978]

According to my son, lack of water and water pressure was a huge issue at the fire site.

 

[Knight Shift]

Numbers and RU4Real are generally correct. Regarding the water cannon- basic fire theory is the fire triangle -- fuel, oxygen and heat. If you remove one leg of the triangle, the fire will go out. You cannot remove fuel in a structure fire, other than letting the fire burn itself out, destroying all the fuel. So, you have to remove heat or the source of oxygen. In a free burning fire like the one today, you will not remove the oxygen. So you have to remove the heat. It's a problem of BTUs. You need a sufficient quantity of water to quench the BTUs of the fire.

 

[RU4Real]

What is a Neptune system?

 

[Piscataway]

Jesus, what is that a 10 inch supply hose? Good question about water supply, nothing close.

 

[RU4Real]

What will be the water source for this system? The Raritan? there isn't any large body of water nearby...

There's a small lake just on the other side of Rt 1 from the scene. How they get the hoses across the highway (or across the NJT tracks, which is the other alternative) I don't know.

 

[RU4Real]

And it's Kenilworth's system (Union County) so it's a 12" supply line. Here's a picture of the manifold setup.

 

[Piscataway]

And it's Kenilworth's system (Union County) so it's a 12" supply line. Here's a picture of the manifold setup.

That's pretty cool. I was a volley in Edison for a few years. I can't imagine hauling a roll of 12" hose. That manifold must weigh a ton.

 

[RU4Real]

That's pretty cool. I was a volley in Edison for a few years. I can't imagine hauling a roll of 12" hose. That manifold must weigh a ton.

The supply line is on a big, honkin' power reel that's mounted on a trailer. Even so, just manipulating it must take ridiculous manpower.

They used the same piece of equipment last year for that big warehouse fire in Perth Amboy and prior to that for the Seaside boardwalk fire.

 

[RUevolution36]

There's a small lake just on the other side of Rt 1 from the scene. How they get the hoses across the highway (or across the NJT tracks, which is the other alternative) I don't know.

oh man, isn't that a retention basin?

 

[RU4Real]

oh man, isn't that a retention basin?

Looks like it. Hey, water's water, right?

 

[RUevolution36]

Looks like it. Hey, water's water, right?

Not sure how long that cannon is going to have a water supply for.

 

[RU4Real]

Not sure how long that cannon is going to have a water supply for.

We think it's about 10k gallons per minute so... assuming that pond is full it's a fair amount of time. Couple hours, at least. It's a big retention pond.

 

[RutgersRaRa]

We think it's about 10k gallons per minute so... assuming that pond is full it's a fair amount of time. Couple hours, at least. It's a big retention pond.

Might be time to empty out Passion Puddle and see what's on the bottom of that bad boy. ;-)
I suppose they could run something to Farrington Lake, but so many obstacles and roads.

 

[RU4Real]

I suppose they could run something to Farrington Lake, but so many obstacles and roads.

The dead bodies would clog up the intake pretty quick, I'd think.

 

[RUevolution36]

are they hooking that bad boy up yet? how are they going to traverse the tracks and Rt 1 without creating all sorts of havoc?

 

[RU4Real]

are they hooking that bad boy up yet? how are they going to traverse the tracks and Rt 1 without creating all sorts of havoc?

Just a guess on my part but if the retention pond is in fact a retention pond then there are probably some pretty large pipes leading to it.