N.J. Forest Fire service battle multiple wildfires, one near popular preserve, another near gun range as state enters ‘extreme drought’
Blazes erupted this week in Burlington, Gloucester, Ocean, and Camden Counties, sparking evacuations and closing roads.
It’s been a rough fall for the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, which has been battling multiple notable wildfires across the state since October amid the ongoing drought. The fires have threatened buildings, caused evacuations, and forced road closures.
The trend is continuing in November, with four more igniting this week: blazes Thursday in Evesham, Burlington County, and Glassboro, Gloucester County; one Wednesday near a shooting range in Jackson Township, Ocean County, that continues to burn; and one Wednesday in Wharton State Forest in Camden County.
A fire broke out Thursday afternoon at Glassboro Wildlife Management Area near Carpenter Avenue in Gloucester County. On Thursday night, the Pheasant Run fire was reported to be 133 acres in scope and 35% contained. Earlier in the day, New Jersey Forest Fire Service crews were busy constructing a fire line and plan on conducting a backfiring operation, which means strategically burning fuel such as dead branches and brush in the fire’s path to slow its advance.
Thursday morning’s blaze, which the fire service has dubbed the Bethany Run Wildfire, ignited along 75 acres at the border of Evesham Township in Burlington County and Voorhees Township in Camden County and had grown to 300 acres and was 50% contained as of Thursday night. The fire broke out along a wooded area of Kettle Run Road in Evesham Township near the popular Black Run Preserve and a residential area, threatening 104 buildings. A helicopter capable of dropping 350 gallons of water was deployed. Sycamore Avenue was closed, as was Kettle Run Road from Braddock Mill Road to Hopewell Road. Smoke from the fire could be seen from Philadelphia.
The fire service dubbed Wednesday’s blaze the “Shotgun Fire“ because it started near a shooting range. Initially, the fire was 175 acres, but spread in the Pinelands near Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area in the area of Stump Tavern Road in Jackson Township. The fire had burned 350 acres and was 80% contained. Six buildings had been threatened and evacuated before people were allowed back in Wednesday night. However, Stump Tavern Road remained closed as of Thursday from Route 571 to Route 528. Firefighters remained on the scene, which is under investigation.
And a 45-acre wildfire broke out Tuesday morning in Waterford Township, within Wharton State Forest, near Tremont Avenue and Burnt Mill Road. Smoke drifted over Atco, Berlin, and Waterford, causing some concern among residents. That fire was quickly contained.
Major wildfires, ones that reach 100 acres or more, are typically rare in fall.
In October alone, the Forest Fire Service responded to 507 incidents statewide. It was the driest October on record for the state, causing a high degree of fire danger. Those conditions have continued, with most of the state listed in severe drought and portions of South Jersey in an extreme drought.
“When conditions become this dry, the simplest things can start a wildfire,” said Bill Donnelly, state forest fire warden and chief of the Forest Fire Service. “In my 30-year career with the Forest Fire Service, I can’t recall a time when we faced such a prolonged period of dry weather with no relief in sight.”
October saw its share of major wildfires, including one that started Oct. 31 in Downe Township, Cumberland County, in the Bayshore area. Dubbed the Halloween Wildfire, it burned 137 acres near Railroad Avenue and was 90% contained by Sunday. Crews battled the blaze for days.
The dryness continues with little real relief forecast over the next week, except for a chance of showers Sunday night.
Indeed, the latest map issued Thursday by the U.S. Drought Monitor shows that parts of Ocean, Burlington, Atlantic, and Cumberland Counties have entered into an extreme drought. The map is produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
On Thursday, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said it would hold a hearing Tuesday on the “unprecedented statewide dry conditions and rapidly worsening water supply indicators, including severely depleted groundwater levels and streamflow.” After the hearing with state water supply officials, the department will determine whether to declare a water supply drought warning, which lead for the state to ask water suppliers to cut back. The state declared a drought watch in October and asked residents to voluntarily cut back water use.
Staff writer Robert Moran contributed to this article.