Safety & Health

Eight N.J. Firefighters Sickened by Fumes at Blaze

May 4, 2011

Eight firefighters were hospitalized late Tuesday night after they were sickened by fumes at the scene of a mobile house fire in South Brunswick.

Eight firefighters were hospitalized late Tuesday night after they were sickened by fumes at the scene of a mobile house fire in South Brunswick, according to The Star-Ledger.

Five Kendall Park firefighters, one Kingston firefighter and two South Brunswick fire marshals were transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as a precaution, Kendall Park Fire Chief Chris Perez told the newspaper.

The fire occurred in the bathroom of the mobile home on Maine Street around 4 a.m. and was quickly extinguished.

While firefighters went through the rubble looking for a cause, fumes were released and ventilation fans sent them throughout the structure.

The Middlesex County hazmat team conducted a search.

"They found a bunch of bug killer and alcohol-based colognes and perfumes, which mixed together could have caused the reaction that we got," Perez said.