NJ Burns

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Wildfire Burns Thousands of Acres Near South Jersey Bombing Range


LITTLE EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) -- A wildfire along the border of Ocean and Burlington counties in southern New Jersey burned thousands of acres of brush and pine forest Tuesday, closing several highways in the area and damaging several nearby homes



Along the nearby Garden State Parkway, northbound and southbound ramps on Exit 63, as well as the southbound ramp for Exit 67, had been closed to aid with possible evacuation efforts, said Joe Orlando, a spokesman for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, which runs the Parkway.

The area burning is at the edge of the 1.1 million-acre Pinelands national preserve, a sparsely populated area of pine forest, about 25 miles north of Atlantic City.



1010 WINS - On-Air, Online, On Demand - Wildfire Burns Thousands of Acres Near South Jersey Bombing Range

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

How awful. We have had so many fires already and it is not even summer or fall.

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

Yikes!!!! I think that's pretty close to the Marriott Fairway Villas.

What a shame. It's true, summer isn't even here yet. I feel terrible for all the people being affected by these fires. thank god Florida got some rain today.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Only 30% contained

1010 WINS - On-Air, Online, On Demand - Crews Battle N.J. Wildfire, Thousands of Acres Charred

LITTLE EGG HARBOR, N.J. (AP) -- Weather conditions that helped spread a massive forest fire were being counted on Wednesday to help douse it as a strong storm was expected to roll through southern New Jersey later in the day.

As of Wednesday morning, the fire had burned about 13,500 acres, almost 20 square miles, of brush and pine forest in southern New Jersey, said Maris Gabliks, chief of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.

Nearly a third of the fire was contained as of midday Wednesday.

State Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa Jackson hoped rain later in the day would help control the fire, but also worried that wind gusts would further fan the flames.

"We are not out of the woods,'' she said. "We do not have the upper hand.''

The forecast for Wednesday called for winds of up to 20 mph with a chance of showers or thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Bert Plante, a division fire warden with the forest fire service, previously said he expected up to 17,000 acres to be scorched before it is extinguished.

Authorities closed down a section of the Garden State Parkway from exit 63 to 58 _ Long Beach Island to Tuckerton _ because wafts of think smoke made visibility dangerously low for drivers.

Dry conditions and strong winds helped fan the blaze, which began Tuesday afternoon on a military aerial bombing range about 25 miles north of Atlantic City.

Two state forest fire officials suffered minor injuries, but no major injuries or deaths were reported as a result of the fire.

The flames forced the evacuation of about 2,500 homes in the area along the border between Ocean and Burlington counties. On Wednesday, less than 700 people remained in shelters, Jackson said. About 50 homes were either damaged or destroyed.

Many of the evacuees were senior citizens who fled the advancing flames clutching only a pet.

"I didn't grab anything but the cat and myself, and we scrammed,'' said Helen Sura, who evacuated a housing development in Barnegat.

[jerseywolfe Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jerseywolfe]

No, its not that close to the Marriott Fairway Villas. I am about 15 - 20 minutes away from the fires and its raining ashes and soot here.
They are calling for rain tonight, hope it does.

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

Fires are so unpredictable! I sure do hope there is rain to help fight this one! What a long summer it will be for so many parts of the country!