SOMERSET COUNTY

2 firefighters hurt battling massive Franklin blaze

Joe Martino
@JMartinoMyCJ
  • Two firefighters were injured Friday night battling a fire at 888 Easton Ave. in Franklin.
  • The fire%2C reported at 7%3A42 p.m.%2C spread quickly through a commercial building.
  • Firefighters were on scene until 6 a.m. extinguishing flair-ups within the structure.
  • The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Franklin Township Office of Fire Prevention.

FRANKLIN (Somerset) – Two firefighters were injured Friday night battling a fire on Easton Avenue, police said.

Firefighters on the scene of a fire at a commercial building, Easton Avenue and Foxwood Drive, Franklin, 10:30 p.m. Friday, March 6, 2015.

The fire was reported at 7:42 p.m., occurring at a commercial building at 888 Easton Ave., said Sgt. Philip Rizzo.

Dan Krushinski, chief of East Franklin Firehouse, said the duty crew got to the scene in four minutes. Firefighters encountered heavy black smoke and intense heat that prevented them from advancing a water line to the second floor. There were combustibles in the building, including oxygen tanks in doctors' offices, he said.

"We pulled everyone out of the building and went to a defensive operation within 15 minutes," Krushinski said.

The fire spread quickly through the building. Firefighters were on scene for several hours until the fire appeared to be out. Inspectors were on the scene at about 5 a.m., though, when they noticed smoldering fire on the roof between the sheathing and shingles. They called for apparatus to return with more firefighters, who shot water at the smoldering file until 6 a.m., making sure there were no flair-ups.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries during the incident — one slipped and fell on ice and another suffered from hypothermia. Both were transported to the hospital and released, authorities said.

The cause of the fire is unknown and is under investigation by the Franklin Township Office of Fire Prevention.

Portions of Easton Avenue and Foxwood Drive were shut down throughout the night to accommodate the on-scene apparatus.

Firefighters from the East Franklin Volunteer Fire, Community Volunteer Fire, Somerset Fire and Rescue, Elizabeth Avenue, Middlebush Volunteer Fire, Franklin Park Volunteer Fire, Griggstown Volunteer Fire, Kingston Fire, New Brunswick Fire Department, HIghland Park Fire Department, North Brunswick Fire Company No. 2 and Finderne Fire Department assisted at the scene along with mutual aid coordinators from both Somerset and Middlesex counties. Millstone Valley was standing by.

Members of the EMS Task Force were on scene including personnel from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Franklin-Somerset First Aid Squad, Hillsborough Emergency Medical Services and Somerville First Aid.

Contributing: Staff Writer Pamela MacKenzie: 908-243-6616; pmackenzie@mycentraljersey.com

Staff Writer Joe Martino: 908-243-6608; jmartino@mycentraljersey.com