A pair of brush fires Tuesday ate through hundreds of acres in New Jersey, hampering rail service and belching thick plumes of thick black smoke that could be seen from Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The fires started at about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday near Harrison Avenue in Kearny and another in Secaucus.
Dozens of firefighters responded to each scene and both blazes were brought under control at about 2 p.m., officials in each town said.
The fire in Secaucus burned up about 200 acres. It's not clear how much land was burned in the Kearny blaze.
There were no reports of structure damage or injuries.
The blaze hampered NJ Transit rail service throughout the afternoon and into the evening commute.
Local
Train service between Newark Penn Station and Manhattan was suspended for several hours after the blaze broke out. Trains started running between the hubs at about 4:30 p.m., but delays were expected throughout the evening.
Service on several other NJ Transit lines were affected. PATH was cross-honoring NJ Transit tickets throughout the afternoon. See the latest alerts here.
Smoke from the blaze could be seen from Manhattan, Brooklyn and surrounding areas in New Jersey. New York City's Office of Emergency Management issued a smoke alert, and dozens of people took to social media to document the black plumes Tuesday afternoon.
The brush fires came after the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for the city and surrounding areas, warning that conditions were ripe for rapidly spreading fires. The warning remains in effect from noon until 8 p.m.
The warning is issued when strong winds and dry conditions are prevalent.
