South Toms River dumpster fire quickly quelled

A blaze that erupted at a South Toms River recycling plant sent billows of dark smoke cascading across nearby Route 166 late this afternoon before being knocked down by several squads of firefighters.

It was the second fire to draw emergency response within 12 hours, within about a mile in this portion of Ocean County.

Police said that the container on the grounds of Tri-State Recycling on Flint Road was filled, mostly, with metal.

Smoke began pouring from the site at just about 4 PM, and the hazard was under control within a half-hour. Police said that no injuries resulted.

Shortly after 4 AM, a renovated 19th-century home on Washington Street in Toms River that was currently the headquarters for two local business and the Hometown Heroes nonprofit group went up in flames.

The building is deemed beyond repair and is being demolished as investigators trace the cause and origin.