Detergent truck fire destroys Hunterdon fishing brook (PHOTOS)

In putting out a tractor-trailer fire early Thursday, firefighters may have inadvertently decimated a fishing stream in Hunterdon County.

Hours after the fire on Route 78 in Union Township was put out, the nearby West Portal Brook was left in a mess of soapsuds and dead fish after the truck's cargo of liquid laundry detergent wound up in the stream.

The state Department of Environmental Protection on Friday continued to monitor the brook, which feeds into the Musconetcong River. The agency observed more than 100 dead trout and minnow-type species along the brook Thursday afternoon.

Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the agency, said the water used to put out the fire likely washed the detergent into storm drains that empty into the brook.

That detergent caused the pH level of the water to change, killing off the brook’s aquatic life.

A Bethlehem Township resident whose home abuts the brook said the stream Thursday evening still looked foamy and smelled like a laundromat even from about 20 feet away. Early in the day, the water was white.

Unlike an oil spill, however, which can be skimmed off the water surface, there is “nothing that can be done” in this case, Hajna said.

“It’s up to the rain and the river to dilute it,” he said. “Hopefully it will be a temporary situation and the fish will return.”

The DEP was not certain Friday morning how much detergent spilled into the brook. Officials will continue to monitor the brook and the Musconetcong. The DEP on Friday said there did not appear to be any immediate impact to the river.

Sergio Bichao is deputy digital editor at New Jersey 101.5. Send him news tips: Call 609-438-1015 or email sergio.bichao@townsquaremedia.com.