After a fallen tree caused a car accident and brush fire on Sunday Mar. 9, part of Route 22 in Westfield township was completely closed off. The tree that fell in front of 8 and 8A Route 22 East tugged down electricity wires with it.

“The tree took down electrical transmission wires along the roadway, which were burning and which subsequently caused the brush to ignite and burn,” Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro said.

The tree fell abruptly at approximately 6:13 p.m. and not long after, a woman (driving) and female child (passenger) crashed into the fallen tree in their vehicle. Neither suffered serious injuries. although they were both transported by the Mountainside Rescue Squad to Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ.

“Fire units were deployed strategically on all sides of the fire to contain the fire spread to any structures and additional fire extensions,” Westfield Fire Chief Michael Duelks said. “Crews contained the fire until PSE&G could de-energize the live wires for extinguishment.”

The Westfield Rescue Squad and emergency responders from the nearby townships of Scotch Plains, Mountainside and Springfield all provided assistance in containing the fires and offering medical attention to the two above-mentioned victims.

The Westfield Police Department helped by closing roadways, directing traffic and scene lighting. The department made the decision to close Route 22 in both directions. The westernmost side of the scene was cleared by the NJDOT (NJ Department of Transportation) at roughly 9:30 p.m., while the easternmost side was cleared around an hour later at 10:42 p.m..

The encompassing area of the location of the fire experienced a power outage following the event. Traffic was backed up on Route 22 East for miles due to the incident.

To make the necessary repairs to the road and electrical wires, PSE&G remained on the site to do so. As of the published date of this article, the scene is cleared and Route 22 East is open again.