Brush Fire Shuts Down Garden State Parkway at Exit 91 in Brick Township
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January 20, 2022
Authorities are still looking into what caused a fire that forced the Garden State Parkway to close for at least eight hours on Wednesday evening.
According to New Jersey State Police Sgt. Philip Curry, the fire was discovered at 5:06 p.m. and was burning in an underground drain pipe. According to him, the drain pipe runs beneath the Parkway's northbound and southbound lanes.
The fire led police to close the Parkway just before 6 p.m., as smoke billowed across the highway. Drivers were required to take a detour off the Parkway at exits 98 southbound and 89 A-B northbound to avoid the area. The road closure stranded dozens of travelers, generating a significant congestion on the Parkway's southbound lanes.
When Curry responded to an email seeking new information at 2 a.m., he stated the shutdown was still in effect. Before 5 a.m., the road block was lifted.
Residents of the Evergreen Woods townhouse complex told Patch that the smoke was so thick that it filled their homes with a smoky odor.
