The ramp at Interchange 16W, from the toll booths to the south portion of the turnpike, was closed sporadically during the afternoon. A grass fire also forced road closures Sunday night when the blaze tore through about two miles of marsh along Route 495 in North Bergen. The environmental effect of such fires is minimal, firefighters said. If the citizenry of the Meadowlands have to breathe one whiff of smoke-filled air, it's bad. Firefighters said they know of no training class devoted to battling grass fires.
Firefighters know the few access roads inside and out.
But in cases in which there is no access, they must wait until the fire reaches them or burns itself out. It's dangerous out there. Falco said he's seen firefighters drop into sinkholes up to their armpits amid the layers of dead weeds. If that happens, the fire spreads horizontally and bulldozers must overturn the soil for firefighters to extinguish it. That's why we have to get out there quick and put the fire out quickly.