More on Continental and Crossroads Major NJ Wildfires (042414)

direct link to video
Thanks to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 webpage who shared this video on their webpage and who made me aware of the video with footage of these two fires (both now contained). It is a great video. In the first minute of the video you will see a nice shot of one of a New Jersey Forest Fire Service Air Tractor 602 making a drop. Be sure to go the direct link to video and expand the about to read more about the video.

Speaking of these fires, it seems that early indications are that the Continental Wildfire was accidental and that the Crossroads Wildfire was deliberately set, for more read this article (with video and photos) from the Asbury Park Press (dated 4/29/14) .

As I write this, light rain has been falling in my corner of New Jersey for a few hours, and will continue into early Thursday morning. My friends at Downstown Aero tell me that all Air Tanker Bases in New Jersey are off today.

I hope that all the firefighters who worked wildfires here in New Jersey and environs, on the air, on the ground, and support staff get a well deserved break or at least lighter duty the next couple of days because of the rains. Nice job everyone!

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website is no longer reporting on either the Continental and Crossroads Wildfires on their home page, they have some photos of the Crossroads Wildfire in their smaller 2014 wildfire page (hover over the photo for the name/location of the fire in the photo; and the have an incident page for the Continental Wildfire on their fires/incidents photo gallery page.

Updates on Major Wildfires in NJ (April 28)

Updates on recent major wildfires in New Jersey as of about 10 AM EDT on April 28th, with updates as noted in the text.

Degolia Wildfire (Section C6, Camden County)
According to an April 28 8:30 AM EDT update on the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 webpage, this fire is at 50 percent containment, burning at least 800 acres. There are some nice photos on this webpage of the Degolia Fire along with some photos from last week's fires.

• Courier Post on Degolia Fire (04/27/14 at 9:30 PM EDT) with videos
• NBCNews10 Philadelphia (4/28/14 early morning video report
• WABC7 NYC (4/28/14 7:15 AM)

The fire is now at 80 percent containment according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 webpage at 5:30 PM on April 28. This fire is now contained, I'm not sure when, but I saw the report on May 2 on the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 webpage.

Update April 30, 2014 at 9:30 AM: as I write this the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 webpage continues to have a report on this wildfire on their homepage, however, I don't know how much longer (due to space constraints) they will continue to be able to provide updates on this wildfire on their homepage.

Springers Brook Wildfire (Section B1, Burlington County)
My friends at the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 webpage reported in an update on April 25th at 1700 hours EDT that this fire was contained at 200 acres.

White Oak Wildfire (Division C, Gloucester County)
In an update on the White Oak Wildfire on April 27 (noon) on the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 webpage, this fire burned 569 acres and is 100 percent contained.

Railroad Wildfire (Section C3, Cumberland County)
The Railroad Wildfire in Downe Township, Cumberland County NJ is 100 percent contained at 1,535 acres according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 webpage.

Continental Wildfire and Crossroads Wildfire (Section B7, Berkeley Township, Ocean County)
The Continental Wildfire has been contained. I have no further information on the Crossroads Wildfire that I reported on here on April 25th. On the morning of April 29th, I went to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 webpage and saw that they are reporting that the Crossroads fire is contained. Some of you might be interested in some mapping and pictures of these two fires in an article from the Shore News Network (4/25/14).

Update on April 30, 2014 at 9:30 AM EDT: the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website only keeps reports on major fires on the home page for a few days after the fire. At the time I write this, they are no longer providing reports/updates for the following wildfires on their homepage: Railroad, White Oak, and Springers Brook. While the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website is no longer reporting on either the Continental and Crossroads Wildfires on their home page, they have some photos of the Crossroads Wildfire in their smaller 2014 wildfire page (hover over the photo for the name/location of the fire in the photo; and the have an incident page for the Continental Wildfire on their fires/incidents photo gallery page.

New Major Fire in NJ - Degolia Fire

I got back from a morning out and when I got back I had messages waiting for my from my friends at the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 webpage and Downstown Aero about a new major fire burning west of Atison Lake in the Wharton State Forest in Burlington County, NJ (Section C6, on the B1 border).

My friends at Downstown Aero told me in an e-mail time stamped 10:54 AM today that Charlie 1 (Air Tractor 602 (600 gallons) was working the fire, and a few minutes later reported that about 200 acres were involved (perhaps after expected back firing operations?). In addition they report that a helo with a bucket and an observation helo have been requested.

My friends at the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 webpage have an update about the Degolia Fire updated at 1400 hours say that an observation helo and two 450 bulldozers have been requested. They also report that two tankers are working the fire (Charlie 1 - Air Tractor 602 and Charlie 2 - Turbo Cat 400 gallons). They do not report any size info, but say that after burnout operations are completed, the fire is expected to be a major fire. The fire is in a remote area.

After doing a quick check of some Philadelphia media outlets, I am not yet aware of any media coverage. As I obtain more information about this fire, I'll report back and update this thread.

So as not to confuse, I'll wait to get more information on the Degolia Fire before I make more posts about last weeks fires.

For my friends working the fire, stay safe and thanks for all you do to keep us safe here in New Jersey.

Updated April 25, 2014 at 2:55 PM EDT
Downstown Aero just posted a couple of aerial photos of the Degolia Fire on their Facebook page (about 2:45 PM EDT today. They also report that  Delta 7 (Huey helicopter with a bucket) and Delta 2 (Jet Ranger observation helicopter) are working the Delgolia Fire. No update on the size of the fire. In an e-mail, my friends from Downstown Aero tell me that only Charlie 1 (Air Tractor 602, 600 gallons) is working the fire, Charlie 2 is on standby for other Division C fires.

Update April 25, 2014 at 4:15 PM EDT
Two media outlets in Philadelphia reporting on this fire: ABCNews6 and NBC10. Both news outlets are reporting that the fire has burned about 250 acres and that the size could grow to 500 acres after backburning operations are complete.

I could be wrong, but I think that the fire is burning near the Burlington County/Camden County border. At the moment, I'm not quite sure what County the fire is located in.

Thanks to my friends from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 webpage who helped me with my geography. The Degolia Fire is burning in Camden County near the border with Burlington County. It is a Division C Fire. Section C6 (Camden County) is being assisted by Section B1 (from nearby Burlington County).

Update April 25, 2014 at 6:00 PM EDT
According to my friends at Downstown Aero, the fire has burned about 750 acres as of 3:30 PM this afternoon.

Update April 25, 2014 at 7:15 PM EDT
A nice story and video from NBC10 in Philadelphia on the Delgolia Fire. I am going to embed the video here (I don't know how long the embed the code work). According to the NBC10 report, the fire is about 30 percent contained at about 800 acres.

Thank-you firefighters for good work!!

I want to pause, a day late, and say thank-you to all the New Jersey Forest Fire Service fire fighters, all those who responded under mutual aid agreements, the pilots and ground personnel from Downstown Aero and all the various support personnel for the great job you did last week (April 21 through April 25) fighting the major wildland fires as well as numerous smaller fires during some very extreme fire weather. No one died. To the best of my knowledge, no one was injured. There was some property damage, but no residences were destroyed.

I am proud of all of you and am glad that everyone is safe.

I'd like to thank my friends from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 webpage and Downstown Aero for providing me with some important information on the fires last week. The information you provided me last week was invaluable. I am so very grateful for the couple of minutes you took to send me a quick e-mail update and/or answer some questions I had. Thanks to Edward Carter Jr for the permission to post his photos (here and here).

I'll be back later this afternoon or tomorrow with some more information on last week's wildfires.

Springer Brook Fire (Shamong Twsp NJ, Wharton State Forest) contained

I learned from my friends from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website (in an update at 1700 hours EDT today) that the Springer Brook Fire that I first wrote about earlier today has been contained. I am uncertain of the total acreage burned, when I know I'll update this thread. A thread on the Springers Brook fire on the Wildand Fire hotlist may be found here. A news article on this fire and some of yesterday's fire may found here. Updated on April 28th, final acreage burned is 200 acres.

Edward Carter Jr., pilot of Charlie-1 (Air Tractor 602, 600 gallons) made some drops on the Springer Brook Fire along with Bravo 1 (another Air Tractor 602). Eddie gave me permission to share this photos with you. These photos were taken by Eddie over the Springer Brook Fire earlier today. Thanks Eddie! (Note: I had one photo posted twice, and I removed the duplicate on April 27, 2014).

Update on April 30, 2014 at 9:30 AM EDT: the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website only keeps reports on major fires on the home page for a few days after the fire. At the time I write this, they are no longer providing reports/updates for this fire on their home page.

Update on April 24th wildfire activity in NJ and new starts today

I begin with a short video from the Star Ledger with footage of an Air Tractor 602 and two helicopters with buckets working the yesterday's wildfire in Beachwood, Berkeley Township. I believe, but am not certain, that this is footage of the Continental Wildfire.

Some of you may recall that I wrote last night about the Continental Wildfire, that fire burned 307 acres and is now 100 percent contained. As I was listening to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service As I was listening to online scanner feed from Division B of the New Jersey State Forest Fire Service, I was getting wind of other wildfires near the Continental Fire. I also heard some media reports about wildfires burning near the Continental Fire (NJFFS Section B7. I wrote about one smaller fire Toms River yesterday (7:00 PM) that was contained at three acres. 

Yes, there was a second wildfire in Berkeley Township yesterday, according to my friends at the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website, the Crossroads Wildfire has burned 219 acres. No structures are threatened. As of 8:30 AM this morning, the fire was 80 percent contained.

Another probably smaller wildfire that I heard about last night was burning in another town not far from Berkeley Township. This article from NJ dot com discusses the two Berkeley Township Fires (Continental and Crossroads) and references other smaller wildfires that burned yesterday in Ocean County. 

I first learned of the "White Oak Fire last night from one of my friends from Downstown Aero. According to my friends at the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website the White Oak Fire in Franklinville NJ (Gloucester County, Division C) has burned about 500 acres. My friends at Downstown Aero told me that the White Oak fire is just two or three miles of their Airport, that in burned in New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section C9.

I know from my friends at Downstown Aero that the two Air Tractor 602s (Bravo 1 and Charlie 1, 600 gallons each) each made multiple drops yesterday before arriving at the White Oaks Fire. Specifically, Bravo 1 made at least 20 drops (possibly more) while Charlie 1 made 14 drops. After Charlie 1 left Ocean County, he blew back south and made 9 drops on the White Oak Fire. Charlie 2 (Turbo-Cat, 400 gallons) made 9 drops on the White Oak fire.

Getting to today, by this time I think that you get an idea of what I have been doing. There is wildfire burning in Shamong Township in Wharton State Forest (NJFFS Section B1, started about 1 PM) -- the Springer Brook Fire. According to my friends at the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website, this fire has burned about 50 acres but acreage burned is expected to increase with burn out operations. When my friends at Downstown Aero, they told me that Bravo 1 and Charlie 1 (Air Tractor 602s, 600 gallons) are working the fire. This confirms what I have been hearing on the online scanner feed from the Division B of the New Jersey State Forest Fire Service. They also confirmed me that the new start reported by ABC News 6 in Philadelphia (with video) is the Springer Brook Brook Fire ABCNews6 also reports on some of the other fires that burned yesterday in New Jersey. Another article summarizing some of yesterday's wildfire activity may be found on Lehigh Valley Live.

I want to close by acknowledging that through conversations with reliable friends and acquaintances last night and today I heard about small wildfires in eastern Pennsylvania, not far from the Deleware Water Gap and also on eastern Long Island. And there are other smaller wildfires as well in New Jersey, for example another reliable friend told me of what is probably a very small wildfire in Chester Township, New Jersey (Division A) with power lines down.

As I get more information about today's Springer Brook Fire, I'll provide updates in a later article.

Update on "Railroad Fire" in Downe Twsp, NJ

I wrote here about the 1,500 acre wildfire burning in the Edward G. Bevan Wildlife Management Area in Downe Township, Cumberland County New Jersey. To the best of my knowledge, this fire -- The Railroad Fire -- remains at 1,500 acres. I am hearing conflicting reports about how much of the wildfire is contained. So, for now I will stick with the Railroad Fire being at 55 percent containment.

Updated at 11:21 PM EDT on April 24th According to my friends at the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Website, the Railroad Fire is now at 85 percent containment. Acreage burned, including burn out operations, remains at about 1,500 acres.

Update on April 30, 2014 at 9:30 AM EDT:  This fire is now contained. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website only keeps reports on major fires on the home page for a few days after the fire. At the time I write this, they are no longer providing reports/updates for this fire on their home page.

Just in - Continental wildfire in Berkely Twsp (Ocean County) NJ

I got home from a couple of errands to get news of another major wildfire in New Jersey, this one in Berkeley Township (Ocean County) NJ (Section B7). This fire has been named the Continental Fire. According to my friends from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website, the fire has burned about 50 acres as of 12:30 PM and evacuations are in place. I understand that the wildfire started around noon today. Firefighters on the ground are doing structure protection.

MyFoxNY is reporting about the evacuations affecting several homes. In addition, they report that

Beachwood Intermediate South School was closed just after 12:30 p.m. Parents were told not to report to the school. The Ocean County Sheriff's Dept. said that all children were going to be safely evacuated to another location (report from MyFox NY)

The Asbury Park Press has a short article about the fire. I will be posting updates as I hear them in this thread. I am monitoring the Division B scanner feed from Broadcastify. I just now heard from my friends at Downstown Aero, the tell me that the two Air Tractors (Bravo 1 and Charlie 1) are working the Continental Fire. If I am understanding the scanner feed correctly, Delta 6 (Huey Helicopter with bucket) is also working the fire.

For those of you who are wondering about the fire that is still currently burning in Downe Township (Cumberland County) NJ, my friends at Downstown Aero tell me that there were a couple of flair ups that the trucks on the ground handled. I have no updates yet about the size or containment status of this fire.

I have already made a couple of revisions to this article as information was coming in as I was writing this. I will update this article later today as I get new information.

Update April 24, 2014 at 3 PM EDT

Fire is reported at about 200 to 300 acres as I write this. Structure protection ongoing along with air support. I am just listened some livestream from ABC6 News in Philadelphia, reporting no injuries and no residences destroyed. One shed may have been destroyed. There are about 200 firefighters working the fire. My friends from Downstown Aero tell me that Alpha3 is ready and available to support wildfires in Division A (northern NJ), and that the turbo-cat is on standby for other wildfire activity in Division B (central NJ) and C (southern NJ).

Some News Reports:

• link to video, report, and pictures from CBS2NYC (recommend the video, could not get the embed code to work)
• ABC6 News Philadelphia report, pictures, and video
• ABC7 News NYC report

Update April 24, 2014 at 4:53 PM EDT

As I understand it the Continental Wildfire is burning in Berkeley and Beachwood Townships. There is still no containment and the acreage burned remains at about 300 acres.

I have been watching a 24 hour news channel, News12NJ (may not be freely available), but the News12NJ Facebook page is freely available. I heard a News12NJ report on cable that the Beachwood Intermediate South School was evacuated because the school is being used as a staging area. If you can access this link, the News12NJ coverage on the Continental Fire may be found here (may not be freely available, my apologies if the link doesn't work. There is good freely available media coverage on the links that I have provided earlier today, so don't be afraid to use them

My friends on the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website are reporting (at 3:12 PM EDT) about a wildfire (size unknown) in Toms River NJ (also NJFFS Section B10) that involved a structure. An airtanker made at least one drop. One of the reasons I mention this particular fire is because I heard about it when I was listening to the online scanner feed from Division B earlier this afternoon. I am sure that I'll hear an update about this particular fire sooner or later, and I'll provide an update when I do.

Update April 24, 2014 at 7:00 PM EDT

My friends at the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website are reporting that the Continental Fire (Berkeley and Beachwood Townships in Ocean County, New Jersey) has burned 307 acres and is 30 percent contained. They also are reporting that the fire in Toms River is now contained at three acres. The Toms River fire burned in marsh land, damaging one house and two sheds.

Here are some updated News Reports
ABC7 News NYC with video (4:59 PM EDT)
ABCNews6 Philadelphia with video (6 PM EDT)

I am only writing the fires that I know about. I suspect that there are other smaller wildfires that also burned today that I do not know about.

Thank-you firefighters in the air and on the ground for all you have done to keep us safe the past couple of days. And I know that there were wildfires elsewhere in the mid-atlantic, e.g. Upper Mt. Bethel PA to name one that I heard about in my wonderings. I'll try to write about some of those fires in a day or so.

Update April 24, 2014 at 9:55 PM EDT

I checked some of the media outlets that I referenced above. Based on what I have read and heard in their video updates, the Continental Fire remains at about 300 acres and is 30 percent contained. It sounds like evacuations were still in place earlier this evening and I don't know if evacuations are still in place. Thankfully, no one has been injured.

Update April 24, 2014 at 11:25 PM EDT

According to my friends at the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website, the Continental Fire is now at 100 percent containment with crews continuing to work to strengthen containment lines. Acreage burned remains at 307 acres.

Update April 30, 2014 at 9:30 AM EDT

While the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website is no longer reporting on the Continental on their home page, they have an incident page for the Continental Wildfire on their fires/incidents photo gallery page.

Major wildfire in Downe Twp (Cumberland County) NJ partially contained

As I write this, the latest update that I have from my friends at the New Jersey State Forest Fire Service Section B10 webpage (April 24th at 9:30 AM EDT) is that the fire is now at 1,500 acres with 55% containment, the increase in size may be due to back burning operations. I have some updated media links for you:

ABC News6 in Philadelphia (with video and photo gallery)
South Jersey Times (with photo gallery)
Atlantic City Press

I'll try to be back later on today with an update on this fire. In the meantime, we continue with Red Flag Warnings in all of New Jersey and surrounding areas for today (April 24th) from 11 AM to 8 PM.

Recall that I posted some aerial photos of the fire last night taken from Charlie2. Here are two more photos that I got this morning from my friends at Downstown Aero, also taken from Charlie2 yesterday. Photos by Edward Carter Jr.

Edited 12:55 PM on April 24th: Note I had mistakenly attributed these photos as being taken from Charlie3. Thanks to my friends from Downstown Aero for the correction, telling me that the photos were taken from Charlie2.

Update on April 30, 2014 at 9:30 AM EDT: the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website only keeps reports on major fires on the home page for a few days after the fire. At the time I write this, they are no longer providing reports/updates for this fire on their home page.

More on wildfire burning in Downe Twnshp (Cumberland County) NJ

My friends at Downstown Aero told me that Charlie2 (Turbo Cat) flew 6.3 hours today, all or most of it dropping on the 225 acre wildfire in Downe Township (Cumberland County) NJ today. According to the latest report on the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website The fire may be 500 acres or more before it is contained, the fire is not contained. See this report from CBS in Philadelphia. The photos here are taken from Charlie2 and posted with the permission of her pilot, Edward Carter Jr.

Update on April 30, 2014 at 9:30 AM EDT: the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website only keeps reports on major fires on the home page for a few days after the fire. At the time I write this, they are no longer providing reports/updates for this fire on their home page.  

Red Flag warnings for NJ and environs, and NJ wildfire activity for April 23rd

Red Flag Warning
I knew yesterday that there could be Red Flag warnings today in New Jersey, and I was correct. The National Weather Service in Mt. Holly did issue a Red Flag Warning
for their forecast area (most of New JerseyJ, Deleware, portions of Maryland, and southeastern Pennsylvania). There are also Red Flag Warnings into the remaining portions of Maryland, New Jersey, portions of NY (including NYC and Long Island) as well as portions of Virginia and West Virginia. I have my hands full, so to speak following some scanner feed from the NJ Forest Fire Service (Div. B - Central NJ and some channels from Div. A and Div. C - southern NJ. The National Weather Service at Mt. Holly NJ has issued a fire weather watch for Thursday, April 24. To read more about today's Red Flag Warning and tomorrow's fire weather watch, read this article from the Hunterdon Democrat (article written before Red Flag Warnings were raised for northeastern New Jersey and adjoining areas of New York), but you'll get the idea. I'm not posting any links from the National Weather Service because the links expire or are revised as conditions warrant. But if you look at the right side of this page under New Jersey Forest Fire Service, there should be current information and links.

Northern and Central New Jersey
Earlier this morning and again later this afternoon, I was listening to the Div. B scanner feed from broadcastify. As I was listening, I heard mention of at least a couple of  wildfires in Div. B (central New Jersey), and possibly a wildfire in Division A (northern New Jersey) including references to Bravo 1 working two fires, possibly more. When I scanned the local media outlets about an hour ago, I saw no mention of the wildfires that I heard about on the scanner feed. If for example, these wildfires were contained at a small size, they may not warrant media attention. Of course, I'll keep my eyes open, and if I see any media reports of wildfires in northern and central New Jersey, I'll post them later.

Wildfire in southern NJ
About an hour ago, I was scanning several media outlets when I saw an article on the Press of Atlantic City reporting on a wildfire in Downe Township, NJ reporting that the fire began about 3 PM, has burned about 225 acres so far and it is burning in an area with no nearby residential areas. I then went to  the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website to see if they were reporting on any wildfire activity and saw reference to this same fire in Downe Township, going on to say that two aircraft are working the fire SEAT Charlie 2 (Air Tractor 602) and the Huey Helicopter  (with bucket), Delta 6.

For more information on the fire in Downe Twshp and a discussion of today's Red Flag Warning read this report from ABC6 news in Philadelphia. There is also a report on the fire from the South Jersey Times.

Wildfire in Vernon Twnsp (Sussex County) NJ

Thanks to my friends at the NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10 website for bringing a wildfire in Vernon Township, NJ to my attention. The fire started near Wawayanda State Park on a steep ridge, with one or two New Jersey Forest Fire Service Helicopters with buckets working the fire. Approximately 75 to 100 acres have burned. No homes are threatened. The fire started on Monday evening, April 20 at about 6:00 PM. In an article dated today, April 22 at 5:51 PM, The NJ Herald is reporting that the fire is contained.

Video of NJ Forest Fire Service Helicopter dropping water on wildfire in Vernon Township, NJ
New Jersey Herald
direct link to video

Video of NJ Forest Fire Service Helicopter and bucket dipping from Lake in support of wildfire in Vernon Township, NJ
New Jersey Herald
direct link to video

Spring Wildfire Season continues in NJ - Easter update

The current fire danger reported by the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (which may change by the time you read this) is rated as high in northern and souther New Jersey and extreme in central New Jersey. The current fire danger may be found here. We haven't had any rain  in my part of New Jersey since last Tuesday and are due from some more rain late tomorrow night into early Wednesday.

As I write this, I am listening to online scanner feed from NJ Forest Fire Service Division B (go broadcastify link here which I understand sometimes picks up feed for Division A (where I live). I was listening to this same scanner feed earlier today (in the morning). What I can say is that the scanner traffic that I am hearing suggests that there has been some wildfire activity in central and northern New Jersey. Moreover, SEATs may have worked a couple of these fires. With one exception that I'll write about in a bit, I do not know the size or the exact location of these wildfires. Just hearing about a three-quarter acre fire somewhere in Division B (central Jersey) that is close to being contained and is in mop-up.

Just a little while ago I heard a report that a 3 acre fire somewhere in Division B (Central Jersey) was under control, that Bravo 1 (Air Tractor 602) made one drop. There may have been other fires. I am always happy to hear of one of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service SEATs working a smaller fire that is now under control. One drop on a three-acre wild fire can make all the difference in helping to keep the fire to a small size, making the job of the firefighters on the ground a little easier.

There were some wildfires in northern New Jersey that got the attention of local media over this past weekend. One was a fire of unknown size that burned in Jefferson NJ on the Newark Watershed Property, see tis article from the NJHerald on April 18th wildfire on Newark Watershed Property.

Also on Saturday the 18th, several brush fires were ignited along some railroad tracks in Warren County, perhaps ignited by some brush that caught under a special Easter Bunny excursion train. The train was held up for a couple of hours while wildland firefighters, a single-engine airtanker and a helicopter with a bucket fought these fires. For more on these fires:

• Lehigh Valley Live on the brush fires along the railroad tracks in Warren County, and a later update on these brush fires may be found here.
• WFMZ 69 News in Allentown PA reported on the brush fires along the railroad tracks in Warren County, New Jersey (Warren county adjoins Pennsylvania) reported on these fires here with a nice photo montage.

My friends from Downstown did tell me this morning that the SEAT based at Andover/Aeroflex, Alpha 3, flew for three hours on Saturday, confirming the reports of tanker activity in the media accounts.

I end with this short clip of one of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Helos with a bucket (it may be Delta 6, but I'm not sure) filling her bucket on Saturday, April 18. I don't know the exact location where this was shot, but I am pretty certain that is somewhere in northern New Jersey.



direct link to video on LiveLeak

Fire in the Pine Barrens -- April 21, 1963 -- 51 years later

I believe that I first heard about Black Saturday in the Pine Barrens --  April 21, 1963 when 183,000 acres in the New Jersey Pine Barrens burned -- when I read John McPhee's book The Pine Barrens (1967).  John McPhee writes:

On April 20, 1963, the day of the forest fire in the recorded history of the Pine Barrens, the burning index shot past two hundred into interminable beyond, It was not a particularly hot day, but the vegetation was still in the cured staff, winds war blowing at about fifty miles an hour, and there was a drought. Once a fire got started, there was not much chance that it could be controlled. Actually, twelve non-continguous major fires started on that day. … The fire was so hot that it caused the surfaces of macadam roads to form bubbles. Overhead, white piles of smoke went up hundreds of feed, and against this white background, now and again, appeared black twister os smoke from pitch. Multiple airdrops were made but did not significantly help (116-7).

In his book The Pine Barrens John McPhee has a chapter on fire in the Pine Barrens. His book is well written and a quick read. If you want to get to know the New Jersey Pine Barrens and don't know where to start, I'd recommend finding a copy to read.

There is a short article in the Burlington County Times on April 16, 2014 with a few photos from the 1963 Black Saturday fires in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, thanks to my friends at New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website for making me aware of this article.

Added on April 14, 11 AM EDT. I believe that I first learned about how the ecology of the Pine Barrens is adapted to fire from reading John McPhee's book. McPhee writes:

Of all the natural phenomena of the Pine Barrens, the most startling one is the speed with which the vegetation comes back from fire. There has been so much fire in the pines for so many centuries that, through the resulting processes of natural selection. the species that grow there are not only highly flammable but are able to tolerate fire and come back quickly. (McPhee, 1967, The Pine Barrens, p. 118).

That being said, and even though I myself have witnessed how quickly sections of the Pine Barrens burned in the 2007 Warren Grove Fire have come back, a fire of that magnitude (about 15,000 acres) or larger has the potential to cause loss of property and loss of life. I dread the day that we see another fire of the size that burned on Black Saturday in 1963.

The Pinelands Preservation Alliance has some great information on the Pine Barrens and does work advocating for the Pine Barrens. The Pinelands Preservation Alliance has a webpage on Fire in the Pines with some photos and links to two videos, which I've embedded below. You will learn how the ecology of the Pine Barrens depends on fire. The first video is taken from a DVD that the Pinelands Preservation Alliance produced called The Pine Barrens: Up Close and Natural. The second video is a report from NJN News Public Television one year after the 2007 Warren Grove Fire.

Videos of Turbo-Cat dropping on wildfires

Thanks to my friends at Downstown Aero Crop Services who wanted me to share these videos with you. They gave me permission to embed their videos of the Turbo-Cat dropping on some fires on April 13. The videos are posted on Downstown's (public) Facebook Page. I wrote about the Lower Bank Fire on April 14. In that same article on April 14 I wrote about wildfire in Salem City where two brush trucks were destroyed with no injuries, I am not certain if the fire in the first video is the same fire that I wrote about.

Here in New Jersey, our SEATs are doing good work, dropping on wildfires in support of the wildland firefighters on the ground. Nice work everyone. Stay safe!

Out of Service Fire, Salem NJ C-10 4/13/14 (posted April 14)

Post by Downstown Aero Crop Service,Inc.

Lower Bank Fire Turbine Cat Drop (posted April 13)

Post by Downstown Aero Crop Service,Inc.

Drop #2 Lower bank B2 (posted April 13)

Post by Downstown Aero Crop Service,Inc.

Spring fire season in NJ continues - April 13

Spring fire season continues here in New Jersey with all its attendant dangers as outline in this Asbury Park Press article.

This past Sunday (April 13) was a busy day. In Salem City New Jersey a brush fire cropped up in an area dominated by phragmites and other weeds. Two brush vehicles, from the Pennsville and Elsinboro fire departments were destroyed in this wind driven fire. The firefighters in the two vehicles did get out. Approximately 100 acres were burned before the brush fire was brought under control later in the day. A SEAT under contract with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service dropped on the fire. An article with photos from the South Jersey Times reporting on the fire may be found here, and a video which includes a shot of the SEAT from NBC10 in Philadelphia may be found here.

Thanks to my friends at New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 (last updates on April 13 about 1830 to 1900 hours), I know about four more wildfires that burned yesterday in central and southern New Jersey.

• In Atco, Waterford Township (Section C11) a wild fire (size unknown) burned near the Atco Raceway. A single engine airtanker (SEAT) on contract with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service dropped on the fire in support of the wildland firefighters on the ground. The fire was partially contained as of 1900 hours last night.
• A 10 to 20 acre fired burned in Brick Township (Section B8) yesterday with support from a SEAT and a helicopter. The fire is now contained. Article from Newsworks.
• The third fire that I know about (I suspect that there are many I don't know about) has burned approximately 20 acres in Lower Bank (Burlington County, Section B2). Two SEATs and a Huey Helicopter with a bucket dropped on the fire.
• A small, 1/2 acre fire in Manchester (Burlington County) NJ that a SEAT dropped on. Nice job to the SEAT pilot and the ground crews for keeping this fire small, see this this article from OCSignal.

Stay safe everyone!

Revised on April 14 th at 4:25 PM EDT

Edison Fire (New Jersey): Final update

I wrote yesterday about a fire that was burning in Edison New Jersey near the Raritan Center. I understand from this wildland fire hotlist thread that the final acreage for this fire is 193.5 acres burned, and that it was declared under control at 17:20 last night. Go here for the latest update from NJ dot com (with photos).

Stay safe everyone!

Just in -- wildland firefighters battling brush fire (Edison NJ)

I was perusing some media outlets just now when I came across a short report on NJ dot com about a wildfire burning in Edison (Middlesex County) NJ near the Raritan Center, the story from NJ dot com may be found here. I then went to the NJ Forest Fire Section B10 and saw that they just reported on the fire in the "Current NJ Wildfire Activity" section on their homepage (scroll down a bit).

I will update this thread later on as I find out more information on this wildfire.

Update: April 10, 2:50 PM As I write this, this fire, reported at about 11 AM, continues to burn with a noticeable smell of smoke. I'm not quite sure how many acres have burned. I saw a report on News12New Jersey (not publicly available) and also on the the website of NJ Forest Fire Section B10 that a helicopter with a bucket was making drops on the fire.

• Report with video from ABC7 in New York City
• Midafternoon update with pictures from NJ dot com

Update: 6:20 PM Fire has burned approximately 250 acres and according to this report with video by ABC7 in NYC is at 95 percent containment. An updated article (with photos) is also available from NJ dot com.

Enhanced fire danger in NJ continues for April 10

The National Weather Service in Mt. Holly, NJ issued a Special Weather Statement at 9:03 AM on Thursday, April 10 for an enhanced risk of wildfire spread this afternoon:

Low Relative humidity levels, a gusty southwest wind and drying fine fuels will create an elevated risk for the spread of wildfires this afternoon. Wind should be sustained in the 10 to 15 mph range with gusts to 20 mph.
Please do not park vehicles in grassy areas and ensure proper disposal of any smoking materials. It only takes one improperly disposed cigarette to ignite a fire. ...

Yesterday (Wed. April 9) we were also under a risk for enhanced fire danger. I did spend some time on and off yesterday afternoon listening to some online scanner feed for New Jersey Forest Fire Service Division B, hearing several reports of wildfire activity, probably activity that was of smaller acreage. I saw this because I saw no reports in the media, at least what I could find, of wildfire activity. I am reasonably certain that media would pick up on major wildfire activity (100 acres or more), but there may well be activity that I do not know about as well as media reports that I could not find.

I did hear a report, confirmed by my friends at Downstown Aero -- (supply Single Engine Airtankers on contract to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service) -- that Alpha 3 (Ag-Cat, 300 gallons) made one drop on a wildfire in or near Lake Hopatcong NJ (Division A). I do not know the size of the fire. My friends at Downstown Aero did tell me that there were no drops in Division C (southern New Jersey), but got the impression that there were smaller fires that the wildland firefighters on the ground worked.

I'd like to thank all New Jersey Wildland Firefighters on the ground and in the air, various support operations, and mutual aid responders for all you do to keep us safe here in New Jersey! Stay safe everyone!

Devious Mount Fire (NJ) -- contained

As sometimes happens, yesterday got away with me with a few items of personal business that required my attention, so I am only now making the promised post updating the Devious Mount Fire that I wrote about here. The fire burned approximately 1,600 acres and was declared 100 percent contained late in the afternoon on Monday, April 7. As I write this, my friends at the NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10 webpage have a final report on the fire with some nice photos on their home page (just scroll down a bit). According to the NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10 webpage initial resources included:

40 firefighters

7 engines

2 tractor plows

2 Single Engine Airtankers (SEATs)

1 type 3 helicopter

A link to a map showing the location of the fire may be found here here.

The last news report from 6ABC in Philadelphia with a video may be found here. Finally, there is the Wildland Fire hotlist thread for the Devious Mount Fire.

There is enhanced fire risk this afternoon and again tomorrow afternoon here in New Jersey, so I'll be doing my best to try to follow what might be going on. I do have some reflections following up on the Devious Mount Fire that I want to write about, if not later this afternoon then in a day or so.

Devious Mount Wildfire -- NJ Pine Barrens -- midday update

I wrote about the Devious Mount Wildfire a few hours ago, here.

My friends from the  New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 website are reporting that as of 1230 hours (April 6), the Devious Mount Wildfire remains at 1,500 acres and is now 50 percent contained and 30 percent controlled. A nice report from Lisa Rose of the Star Ledger on the wildfire may be found here. The video that I embed below accompanies the Lisa Rose's article, this is a view of the fire from the Garden State Parkway.

As I write this rain is moving into Southern New Jersey which I understand will overspread the whole State as well as adjoining areas by this evening. I am hoping that this rain will only help the wildland firefighting crews contain and then control the fire. I'll write another update later this evening. In the meantime, I used Google Earth to get the following image for you showing you an approximate location of the fire (currently burning in Wharton State Forest) and the rain (in green) moving in (click on the map to enlarge it for better viewing). 

Devious Mount Wildfire -- NJ Pine Barrens #1

Thanks to my friends at New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 for letting me know about the major wildfire -- the Devious Mounty Wildfire -- currently burning in the Wharton State Forest in the NJ Pine Barrens. If you are reading this post today, you can scroll down to where it says "Current NJ Wildfire Activity", you can read the latest update of the Devious Mount Wildfire. If you are coming to this post sometime after this wildfire is contained than you may find different information under "Current NJ Wildfire Activity," but I will have made a post reporting on the containment of that fire.

Anyway according to the report on New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 , as of 8:30 AM, the Devious Mount Wildfire is currently burning in a remote section of Wharton State Forest. The fire is not currently burning near any structures or roads. Approximately 1,500 acres have burned with 30 percent containment. Yesterday (Sunday April 6), Bravo 3 (Ag-Cat under contract with the NJ Forest Fire Service) made multiple drops. There is thread about the Devious Mount Fire on the Wildland Fire Hotlist forums that may be found here, as I write this the information in that thread was from last night and I expect that the thread will be updated as the day progresses.

The smell of smoke from this fire was detected by people as far away as New York City yesterday and into this morning, see this report from NBC 4 in New York City for more information. 

Some of you might be interested in how weather radar can detect smoke, and smoke inversions. If so, my friends at the US National Weather Service Philadelphia/Mt. Holly had a great educational photo with a little meteorology science that they just posted this morning (April 7) on their Facebook Wall, here is a direct link to the photo (that I hope works, you don't need a Facebook account to access the photo).

I will be back later on with updates on this fire.

Spring fire season begins in NJ And PA

New Jersey

Yesterday was the first day that the NJ Forest Fire Service SEATs were on contract for our spring fire season. I was out and about doing some personal chores yesterday afternoon so was not home listening to online scanner feed from the NJ Forest Fire Service (NJFFS Division B online scanner feed,  NJFFS Division C online scanner feed). It was a nice early spring day and I saw evidence that the top layers of the soil had or were drying out after the rains last weekend. As I was driving around, I tuned into WCBS AM (880) and heard a short report, all of perhaps 30 seconds, that there were a few brush fires burning around the region (northern NJ, NYC and adjoining counties including Long Island) and eastern CT). I heard nothing more than that. I wondered if any of the NJFFS SEATs had dropped on a fire in support of the firefighters on the ground. 

I got my answer when I went to Section B10 webpage earlier this afternoon and learned of a nine acre fire that burned in Sussex County NJ off of U.S. Route 206, an area that I've driven by a few times. NJFFS Alpha 3 (Ag Cat) and Delta 6 (helicopter and bucket) worked the fire. In addition, there was a smaller fire elsewhere in Sussex County that took less than 30 minutes to contain according to this report from the NJ Herald.

New Jersey Herald

direct link to video and report from NJ Herald

Pennsylvania

Spring fire season is, or soon will be underway in Pennsylvania, my neighboring State to the west. Here four stories that I heard about courtesy of Wildfire News of the Day:

A trash fire got out of control, burning a couple of acres in Ormsby, PA on April 1 reported by The Bradford Era on April 2, 2014.

A 2.5 acre wildfire  in Blacklick Twsp., PA on March 31 required a few municipal fire companies before the fire was brought under control, from the Indiana Gazette.

I wrote here about Air Tractor 802's Single Engine Air-Tankers that are now on contract in Pennsylvania. I learned from  this article from the Daily American that there is a helitanker at the Somerset County Airport in Pennsylvania.

Finally, there was a nice article in the Bradford Era on April 1 saying that the spring wildfire season in Pennsylvania may be short in some parts of the State because the snow hung around through most of March in the northwestern part of the State. I also learned about the ways the snow melts and how it can affect wildfire danger.

Prescribed burns -- US Fish and Wildlife Private Lands, Iowa

direct link to video