‘Major’ wildfire in Burlington County sparks evacuations, road closures

Fire engines, bulldozers and ground crews converged Thursday morning on the scene of a large brush fire in Burlington County, with authorities initiating precautionary evacuations as they began working to contain the blaze.
It marks the second wildfire in New Jersey in as many days.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service said the latest fire, which broke out in the Black Run Preserve area in Evesham Township before spreading to the Camden County border, was 0% contained as of 12 p.m.
Roughly 97 structures were under threat from the “major” fire, which had grown to 75 acres by the early afternoon. The service said that 10 structures had been evacuated.
Responding crews constructed firelines and began a backfiring operation, strategically burning fuel in the blaze’s path to slow its advance. A helicopter capable of dropping 350 gallons of water at a time was also deployed to work the fire. Another helicopter choppered to the scene for observation.
Kettle Run Road remains closed between Braddock Mill Road and Hopewell Road, as does Sycamore Avenue and access to the Sturbridge Lake Development.
The fire’s cause is under investigation. Another update was expected at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Another wildfire in nearby Ocean County was still burning after breaking out Wednesday in Jackson Township. That fire, dubbed the Shotgun Fire by officials, had grown to 300 acres in size just before 10 a.m. on Thursday, and threatened six structures.
It was 40% contained after firefighters launched a backfiring operation, where crews strategically burn fuel in the fire’s path to slow its progress.
No injuries stemming from the Shotgun Fire have been reported, and residents evacuated Wednesday afternoon were allowed to return to their homes that evening. The cause of that blaze is also under investigation.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has responded to more than 500 fires in October amid very dry conditions and record temperatures. A fire ban has been imposed across the state, and New Jersey remains under a drought watch, with residents and businesses asked to voluntarily conserve water. The latest drought status map for New Jersey shows three counties — Atlantic, Burlington and Ocean — now experiencing a rare “extreme” drought and most other counties currently in a severe drought.
Extreme drought conditions are very rare in New Jersey, seen only once every 20 to 50 years, according to State Climatologist David Robinson, whose office at Rutgers University oversees statewide weather and climate data dating back to the late 1800s.
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AJ McDougall may be reached at [email protected].