Incident Name: Brickyard Fire
Date: 4/10/1955
Personnel: George Herbert
Age:
Agency/Organization: New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
Position: District Forest Warden
Summary: District Forest Fire Warden George Herbert was killed in the line of duty on Easter Sunday, April 10, 1955. He was acting as an engine boss and supporting a backfiring operation when his engine was stuck on a stump while suppressing a spot fire. Another fire fighter who was with Herbert fled, but Herbert stayed with the engine on Turner Road and was severely burned when the main fire burned over his position. He died the following day.
Maps
George Herbert Memorial site: Horicon Municipal Park, Union Ave. Lakehurst, NJ
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Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned
Wildlandfire.com Links:
- Wildlandfire.com: Memorial Photo page
- Wildlandfire.com: Memorial Photo Description page
Media Articles and Reports
- Fifty Fires Sweep Forests in JerseyApril 11, 1955 | (pay to read)
NEWARK, April 10 (UP) — Fifty forest fires, aided by warm, dry weather and shifting winds, raged through New Jersey today. They swept 37,072 acres… Twenty-five miles west of Atlantic City fire companies from five towns fought flames that … At Whiting George Herbert of Silverton, a district warden, suffered severe burns when the gas tank of a truck exploded. Floyd Gahwight of Whiting, …
Photos, Videos, & Tributes
- The memorial was built this year (2006) as part of a series of events that recognize the centennial of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. It’s located in the Horicon Municipal Park, Union Ave. Lakehurst, NJ. For any questions or directions contact The NJFFS Division B Office (609) 726-9010.
Contributors to this article: Bill Edwards, Section Forest Fire Warden, NJ Forest Fire Service
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