New Jersey battles multiple wildfires, one near popular preserve, another near gun range as part of state enters ‘extreme drought’
The state's wildfire trend continued this week with three blazes igniting.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/S25VIXORABFEJK254YPXE5UX6I.jpg)
Multiple notable wildfires have broken out across New Jersey since October amid the ongoing drought, threatening buildings, causing evacuations, and forcing road closures.
The trend continues in November with three more igniting this week: one Thursday in Evesham, Burlington County; one Wednesday near a shooting range in Jackson Township, Ocean County; and, one Wednesday in Wharton State Forest in Camden County.
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. 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. Nearly 100 buildings are threatened and 10 have been evacuated. None of the fire had been contained as of noon Thursday and a helicopter capable of dropping 350 gallons of water has been called to the scene. Sycamore Avenue is closed, as is Kettle Run Road from Braddock Mill Road to Hopewell Road. Smoke from the fire could be seen from Philadelphia.
Wednesday’s blaze, which the fire service has dubbed the “Shotgun Fire,“ because it started near a shooting range. Initially, the fire was 175 acres, but spread to 300 acres in the Pinelands near Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area in the area of Stump Tavern Road in Jackson Township. As of Thursday morning, 40% had been contained. Six buildings had been threatened and evacuated, before people were allowed back in Wednesday night. However, Stump Tavern Road remains closed from Route 571 to Route 528. Firefighters remain 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.
It’s been a busy fall for firefighters at a time when major wildfires are typically rare. A major wildfire is one that reaches 100 acres or more.
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. The conditions have continued with most of the state listed in severe drought and portions of South Jersey as 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 Halloween in Downe Township, Cumberland County, in the Bayshore area. Dubbed, the Halloween Wildfire, it burned 137 acres near Railroad Ave. 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 period. 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.