Wildfire rages in New Jersey’s Wharton State Forest, prompts evacuations
A Friday wildfire that engulfed 1,200 acres of Wharton State Forest in Burlington County, N.J., continued to rage into the evening and was 40% contained, according to the latest update from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
The blaze, dubbed the Tea Time Hill Wildfire, was first reported by the service around 11:30 a.m. and tripled in size within hours, leading to the evacuation of the Batona Campground and closure of several trails and roads in the area.
According to the NJFFS, two structures were still threatened by the fire on Friday night, a hunting club and a residential building.
“The fire is burning in a very rugged area,” Section Fire Warden Thomas Gerber said during a news conference Friday. “A lot of it is inaccessible to motorized vehicles or fire equipment. Some of the area has not seen fire since 1954, so it’s very, very dense pine forest.”
Officials have urged the public to avoid the area and refrain from flying drones near the fire.
The exact cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
“Earlier today, Forest Fire Service crews conducted a backfiring operation to help aid in the containment of the fire,” officials said in an 8 p.m. update. “Overnight crews will continue to monitor improve and improve control lines.”
Last year, over 18,000 acres were burned in New Jersey forests. The NJFFS said they responded to more major fires in 2023 than they had in the 20 years prior.
