News
Sea Bright Firefighters Extinguish Blaze On Sedge Island
By Ryan Fennell
Sea Bright - Contrary to published reports that a brush fire had broken out on Gunning Island, a 20-acre wildlife preserve owned by the Borough of Rumson, the fire was actually located on nearby Sedge Island.
Sedge Island, which is separated from Gunning Island by the Shrewsbury River's main channel, is owned by Ocean Township.
In the past the island was used as an airstrip to outfit small aircraft with advertisement banners.
After a plane crash and subsequent fire, the practice was discontinued according to Sea Bright Councilman C. Read Murphy.
On Sunday morning at approximately noon, the Sea Bright Fire Department received a call regarding a brush fire on the island.
According to Murphy, the Borough purchased a fireboat just last week in order to be prepared to respond to a fire on any of the several islands in the Shrewsbury River.
"Ocean Township is not going to respond" to a fire on those islands Murphy said.
The Sea Bright Fire and Monmouth Beach Fire Departments initially responded and later called for assistance from the Middletown Fire Department, Atlantic Highlands Fire Department, Highlands Fire Department, and Red Bank Fire Department, all of which have fireboats.
Highlands also provided a First Aid boat in the event of an injury.
According to Rumson Mayor John Ekdahl, the Rumson Fire Department was not initially notified of the fire but responded by sending a fire truck to Sea Bright to provide backup.
According to Murphy, the State Forest Fire Service requested that Sea Bright not attempt to fight the fire to avoid unnecessary risk but Sea Bright Deputy Fire Chief Chad Murphy decided that it would be more of a risk to not fight the fire because of embers carried by the wind toward nearby residences and boats in the marina.
Several fire crews took to the beach on the island with portable water pumps while the fireboats aligned along the shore and took aim at the flames.
It took approximately three hours to extinguish the blaze.
