Tag: New Jersey

A 350-acre fire in Browns Mills, New Jersey is about 20 percent contained as of late Friday night, and crews are working to contain it. 6ABC-News reported that the fire’s burning in Burlington County, and the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said the fire is near City Line Road in the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest.

Roads in the state forest are closed, and two structures were threatened; people were asked to avoid the area.

News12 New Jersey reported that crews are expected to be out through the weekend fighting the fire. It started Friday afternoon near City Line Road.

Crews were working on several spot fires and said the fire was moving fast and the wind made it hard to control.

This is the 10th major wildfire in New Jersey this year, and officials say they are hopeful this one will be fully contained by the end of the weekend.

Weary firefighters responded to two new wildfires in Burlington County late Friday morning, according to a report by New Jersey 101.5 News, and the state Forest Fire Service reported that crews were working on shoring up containment lines and planning a backfiring operation to burn fuels ahead of the main fire. The operation is expected to last much of the night.

A second fire along Route 37 eastbound in Manchester near the Pine Acres Manor Mobile Park was burning across from Leisure Village West Pine Lake Park. Manchester Police Capt. James Komsa said about 5:30 p.m. that this fire had been contained and no evacuations were needed.

This is  the third large wildfire in Burlington County in the past two weeks in what has been a very active wildfire season in New Jersey.

Just a week ago the Flatiron Fire burned 82 acres; the Allen Road Fire in the Bass River State Forest burned around 5,000 acres the week before, and the Glory Fire burned 82 acres on Tuesday and Wednesday. Conditions remain dry — and conducive to rapid spread of fires — and an average of 1,500 wildfires burn about 7,000 acres of New Jersey’s forests each year.

A fast-moving wildfire in southern New Jersey grew to nearly 4,000 acres in under 24 hours as record springtime heat has set in across the Northeast. CNN reported that the Jimmy’s Waterhole Fire had already burned more than half the average acres burned in New Jersey in an entire year, according to statistics from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. The fire was 50 percent contained at 3,859 acres by Wednesday morning.

It was reported at just 500 acres at 10 p.m. Tuesday, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.

WPVI-TV News reported Wednesday morning that the fire was at 50 percent containment, and by  Wednesday afternoon it was estimated at 60 percent.

About 170 structures in the Manchester Township area were evacuated Tuesday night, but all residents have since been allowed to return home, Manchester Police Chief Robert Dolan said during a news conference Wednesday.

New Jersey has been dealing with a series of recent fires exacerbated by dry and windy conditions. The Washington Post reported a mandatory evacuation  in Manchester, where residents were relocated to the Manchester Township High School, with support from the American Red Cross, Manchester Township EMS, Manchester Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office.

A fire that started May 16 in Eastern New Jersey burned 617 acres before firefighters from several departments in Ocean and Burlington Counties stopped the spread at 10 a.m. on May 17. The blaze is about three miles northeast of Bass River, between the Garden State Parkway and US Route 9.

To contain the fire, crews conducted burnout operations on Stage Road, Otis Bog Road, Munion Field Road, and along US Route 9. Firefighters also constructed firelines to secure some of the 30 homes that were threatened.

The fire consumed approximately 243 acres on the Bass River State Forest and 374 acres of private land.

The resources included 13 Type 6 Engines (Brush Trucks), 1 bulldozer, 1 Water Tender, 1 helicopter (observation), and 8 cooperative fire engines.

The Airport Fire near Lakewood, New Jersey burned two office buildings Sunday afternoon as strong winds helped spread a vegetation fire quickly across 170 acres about 12 miles north of Toms River.

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NFFS) said a firefighter is in critical condition at a nearby hospital. Channel 10 in Philadelphia reported the individual suffered a cardiac incident.

According to the NJFFS, the fire came close to homes, but none were “substantially damaged though some ancillary structures such as sheds were impacted.”

The cause of the fire has not been released, but an escaped prescribed fire has been ruled out, in spite of inaccurate reports online indicating otherwise according to the NJFFS.

The fire was reported at about 1:30 p.m. near Lakewood Airport and was pushed by strong winds across the Garden State Parkway which had to be closed.

Sunday afternoon a weather station west of the fire recorded 10 mph winds out of the west gusting at 20 to 35 mph while the relative humidity dropped to 16 percent. A Red Flag Warning is in effect for the area until 5 p.m. Monday for 10 to 20 mph hour northwest winds with relative humidity in the teens.

About 100 residents were evacuated to a nearby elementary school but were allowed to return at 7 p.m.

At least one water dropping helicopter, a single engine air tanker, and a tractor plow can be seen in the video below.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Tom, Jim, and Rick.