TINTON FALLS — A fire broke out in a building at a Monmouth County landfill on Wednesday morning.

The fire was reported around 6:25 a.m. in a garbage transfer building at the Monmouth County Reclamation Center off Asbury Avenue in Tinton Falls, according to Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden. He said there was likely construction material inside the building and garbage.

Golden did not know if anyone was inside the building at the the time of the fire.

Video posted by News 12 New Jersey on its Twitter feed showed heavy smoke and flames in a single-floor building.

 

The landfill has come under criticism from nearby residents over an increase in the smell coming from the 900-acre facility.

Monmouth County Deputy Administrator Geoffrey Perselay told a public meeting that the smell was increased by the uncapping of 11 acres of trash for a project involving a leach field. He admitted he did not warn Tinton Falls government representatives in September about the toxic stink that would be released as a result.

County Freeholder Director Thomas Arnone told New Jersey 101.5 that another part of the problem was last year's wet weather, which doesn't allow the landfill to dry. Several steps are being taken to reduce the odor, including replacement of the gas collection system and the capping of a good portion of the landfill. A misting system will also be looked at, to border the perimeter of the property.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ.

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