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Fire under the Pulaski Skyway quickly extinguished

Officials said a fire under the Pulaski Skyway, which links Newark, N.J., and Jersey City, may have been started by a spark from a welding torch.

By Frances Burns

KEARNY, N.J., Aug. 15 (UPI) -- A fire under New Jersey's aging Pulaski Skyway was quickly extinguished Friday afternoon.

The first police radio reports of the blaze came in shortly after 1 p.m. Fire departments from Newark and Kearny and used boats and a Zodiac were supplied by State Police to get to the flames.

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The Skyway, a 3.5-mile bridge and causeway that spans two rivers, connects Newark with Jersey City and the entrance to the Holland Tunnel to Manhattan. It opened in 1932 and is currently undergoing a major two-year overhaul.

Officials said the fire may have started with a spark from a welding torch.

The area around the Skyway has long been notorious for fires. A Jersey City landfill, informally known as Brother Moscato's Dump and rumored to be the burial place of missing Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa, had an underground fire for years in the 1970s that was used by the city fire department for training.

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