Friday Fun: US Nacy Blue Angels with Lt. Amanda "Stalin" Lee in # 3 and US Air Force Thunderbirds

It is past time for some Friday Fun. Enjoy this 15 minute video of the US Airforce Thunder Birds and the US Navy Blue Angels with Lt. Amanda "Stalin" Lee in #3 at left wing. The is from a performance at the Ventura County (CA) Airshow on March 18, 2023. For a listing of the aviators please go to the direct link below the embedded video and click on more.

Direct link to video by Airshowguy916 on YouTube

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Short video of Jimmy's Waterhole Fire Manchester Twshp (Ocean County)

 

I am sharing a thirty second video from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service of the Jimmy's Waterhole Fire that burned 3,859 acres in Manchester Township (Ocean County), threatening 170 structures with evacuations of 75 structures. No structures were damaged and no injuries were reported. I again want to thank the New Jersey Forest Fire Service and all Mutual Aid responders for your work containing this wildfire and keeping us safe.

Velshi's (MSNBC) Earth Day Commentary on Increasing Acres Burned from Wildfires and Climate Change Concerns

 I saw this video from Velshi, one of MSNBC's correspondent's, on "we need to get creative on wildfires - fast). I decided that I wanted to share this good video with you (under six minutes). Just this morning I saw a great analysis of Velshi's commentary by Ron Steffens of Wildfire Today, you may find Ron's article here. I can not add anything to what Ron has already written so I hope you take a few moments to read his article. 

Direct link to MSNBC video on YouTube

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Spring Wildfire Season Continues

Direct link to video from CBS2 New York

Spring wildfire season in New Jersey is ongoing and may last until mid-May. Crews from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service with the assistance of local firefighters through mutual aid agreements had a busy time the last several days with three major wildfires that I have written about earlier as well as an unknown number of smaller wildland fires and brush fires. This spring's wildfire season in New Jersey got started earlier and is busier. The danger continues so please do not let your guard down. Obey all restrictions, go here for the latest  fire danger and restrictions from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, and go to this NJFFS webpage for suggestions on how to keep your home safe from wildfires. Please fully extinguish cigarette butts and the equivalent, dispose of them safely.

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Red Flag Warning for NJ (11 AM to 8PM)

 

obtained  at 8:30 AM on April 19, 2023 from NWS Mt Holly

Fire Weather Planning Forecast 

National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ

554 AM EDT Wed Apr 19 2023

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING...

.DISCUSSION...

Low daytime relative humidity is forecast through the remainder of the week. Critical fuel moistures continue to dry out as we get further away from the most recent wetting rains. This will continue to result in fire weather concerns for the next few days, but especially for today as breezy conditions persist.

For today, conditions will be somewhat less significant compared to Tuesday in terms of winds. West to northwest winds will be sustained around 10 to 15 mph with frequent gusts around 20-25 mph. The winds will be on the lower end of the aforementioned spectrum for Delmarva. Relative humidity is forecast to fall to around 20% to 30% across much of the area. Some minimum values near 15% are possible across Delmarva. Forecast high temperatures are well into the mid to upper 60s across the area, and near 70 degrees across Delmarva.

A Red Flag Warning has been issued for New Jersey, which is in effect from 11 AM to 8 PM today. A Special Weather Statement has been issued for our Maryland and Delaware forecast zones, since the current wind forecast does not meet Red Flag criteria for those areas. Additional coordination will be needed later this morning to determine if any fire weather danger products will beneeded for Pennsylvania.

For Thursday and Friday, relative humidity will continue to fall to around 30% across the area, although winds will be notably less around 10 mph during the daytime hours.

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: River Road Fire Washington Twshp (Burlington County)

April 19, 2023 10:50 AM

I am sharing the 10 AM update from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service on the River Road Fire in Washington Township, Burlington County. The fire remains at 257 acres, no structures are threatened and a couple of local roads remain closed.

April 19, 2023 8:15 AM

By late yesterday evening the New Jersey Forest Fire Service had made progress in fighting the River Road Fire. As of about 10:30 PM, the fire remained at 257 acres with containment increasing to 65 percent. Thirty structures are still threatened. Route 542 was open last night but a couple of local roads remained closed. 

Here is a report from 6ABC in Philadelphia from earlier this morning.

Direct link to video from 6ABC in Philadelphia

April 18, 2023 9:50 PM

Thanks to my friends at the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 for making me aware of the River Road Fire has burned 257 acres in Washington Twshp, Burlington County. Thirty structures are threatened. I will follow up on this tomorrow morning, April 19th. The National Weather Service at Mt. Holly did issue a Red Flag Warning for southern New Jersey that expired at 8 PM tonight.

Here us a report from ABC6 in Philadelphia early on the afternoon of April 18th

Direct link to video from ABC6 in Philadelphia on YouTube

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Elevated Fire Danger SE New Jersey

Fire Weather Planning Forecast

National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ

405 AM EDT Tue Apr 18 2023

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM EDT THIS

EVENING...

.DISCUSSION...

Showers and storms Saturday provided significant wetting rain for portions of the region, however we will continue to dry out through the middle of the week. Low daytime relative humidity is forecast through the remainder of the week along with breezy conditions and limited overnight recoveries persisting. This will continue to result in fire weather concerns for the next few days.

For today, west winds are expected to prevail around 15-20 mph across the area with frequent gusts in the 25-30 mph range. Peak gusts up to 35 mph will be possible across far southeastern Pennsylvania and across the coastal plains of southern new Jersey and Delmarva. Relative humidity is forecast to fall to around 20% to 35%, lowest across Delmarva and the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. High temperatures will range from the mid 50s in northern New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania to the mid 60s across the Pine Barrens and Delmarva. Overnight relative humidity recovery will be around 60% to 70% with a 10 mph west to northwest breeze persisting tonight.

The Fire Weather Watch for the eastern shore of Maryland was upgraded to a Red Flag Warning, which is in effect from noon until 8 PM today. Additionally, a Special Weather Statement was issued for portions of the coastal New Jersey (Atlantic, eastern Burlington, Monmouth, and Ocean Counties), where little rainfall has occurred in recent days. Collaboration with our state fire partners will determine if any additional products will be needed for today.

By Wednesday, conditions will improve somewhat compared to today. West to northwest winds will lessen somewhat to around 15 mph with gusts around 20-25 mph possible, however relative humidity is still forecast to fall to around 30% across much of the area.

Looking farther ahead, relative humidity will continue to fall to around 30% across the area both Thursday and Friday, although winds will be notably less around 10-15 mph.

 

New Jersey 2023 Wildfire Season: A West Milford NJ Fire Company thanks all who helped with Kanouse Fire

 On Saturday, April 15th I wrote that the New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported that the Kanouse Fire in West Milford (Passaic County NJ) was 100 percent contained. Last evening, Sunday, April 16th I saw that the North Jersey Wildland Fire Association on Facebook shared a very nice post from one of the six West Milford Fire Companies -- Macopin Firehouse WMFD4 -- thanking a long list of all that helped contain the Kanouse Fire. It is a long Facebook post and hope that you take a few moments to read the post. In the years that I have been writing this blog I often see reports of gratitude from residents affected by a wildfire, thanking the responders as well as reports from responders thanking all those who helped them. I was touched by this post and wanted to share it with you. Here are the highlights from the April 15th post (embedded below) from the Macopin Firehouse WMFD4

• All six West Milford Fire Companies responded;
• Mutual Aid from 34 (if I counted correctly) towns and Picatinny Aersonal;
• Mutual Aid Coordinators from Passaic County and nearby Morris County;
• Wildland firefighters from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, US Fish and Wildlife Forestry Service, and the Delaware Water Gap;
• Water drops from aircraft;
• Police departments from West Milford and Bloomingdale as well as the New Jersey State Police:
• The West Milford Department of Public Works;
• Ladies Auxiliary of Companies 4 and 1 who organized and distributed donations that were received;
• West Milford First Aid Squad, Milton First Aid Squad, Passaic County Volunteer Canteen and Rehab Unit, University of Medicine and Dentistry; and the NJ EMS Task Force;
• The West Milford CERT team who passed out cases of water and refreshments on April 14th;
• Many, many, many, residents of West Milford and surrounding communities who donated supplies and helped evacuate approximately 100 animals;
• Mayor Dale and Town Council of West Milford;
• At least 30 area businesses and retailers (local and chains) who donated supplies.

New Jersey 2023 Wildfire Season: Log Swamp Fire (Little Egg Harbor Twshp, Ocean County)

April 16, 12:10 PM

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported that the Log Swamp Fire in Little Egg Harbor Township (Ocean County) was at 100 percent containment at 8 AM on April 16th. A prescribed burn conducted by the NJFFS at the Warren Grove Bombing Range helped in achieving containment. NJFFS wildland firefighters remain on the scene to monitor containment lines and help ensure the safety of the public. Route 539 is reopened. Scroll down to read earlier updates.

April 16, 7:05 AM

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service made good progress yesterday afternoon in containing the Log Swamp Fire in Little Egg Harbor Township. The NJFFS gave the below report on the fire about 8 PM yesterday evening, at that time the fire had burned 1,607 acres and was at 60 percent containment. No structures are threatened. Route 539 in the vicinity of the fire was closed yesterday afternoon and early evening. The fire area did not receive any rain yesterday afternoon. I will update this post early this afternoon with another report from the NJFFS.

April 15, 4:15 PM

This just in, the Log Swamp Fire is currently burning off of Route 539 in the Bass River State Forest, the Stafford Forge Wildlife Management Area, and the Warren Grove Bombing Range. The fire was first reported by the Cedar Bridge Fire Tower at about 10:17 AM. As I write this, the fire has burned 200 acres and is not contained. No structures are threatened. Route 539 is closed in the vicinity of the fire.

New Jersey 2023 Wildfire Season: Kanouse Fire (West Milford Twshp, Passaic County) Fully Contained

 I have been writing about the Kanouse Fire recently, see my April 12th and yesterday's post (April 14th) for a history of this fire.

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service is reporting that the Kanouse Fire is at 100 percent containment. New Jersey Forest Fire Service Wildland Firefighters remain on the scene to monitor containment lines as well as ensuring the safety of the public.

New Jersey 2023 Wildfire Season: Update on Kanouse Fire (April 14th)

April 14, 4:00 PM

The Kanouse Fire remains at 972 acres burned, containment has increased to 65 percent. One structure remains under evacuation orders and ten are threatened.

April 14, 11:40 AM 

The Kanouse Fire currently burning in West Milford, NJ has grown to 972 acres and is currently at 55 percent containment. It is the largest wildfire in northern New Jersey since 2010. I listened to a New Jersey Forest Fire Service news conference at 11 AM this morning. Officials cited some environmental factors that lead to this growth leading to embers from the original fire location west of Echo Lake (see the map) spotting across Echo Lake causing a fire on the east side of the Lake. Officials discussed the impact of clusters of Ash Trees killed by the Emerald Ash Borer (aka snags), invasive species, and Mountain Laurel (oily leaves) that gave the opportunity for embers to be carried by the wind across Echo Lake to start a fire in this new location late in the afternoon of April 13th. 

Last night evacuation were in place for five residences, four orders were lifted overnight with one evacuation still in place as I write this. Ten structures are threatened. No injuries have been reported. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) is assisted and is grateful to the support of local fire companies, many of which are volunteer, EMS workers, police departments and other responders for their help. They also cited the care of local residents who offered food and water and a place to shower to the fire fighters. A contract air tanker is working the fire as is a helicopter for observation and bucket work. NJFFS crews from central and southern New Jersey came to help. The NJFFS crews continued to perform backfiring operations last night. According to the Glossary of Wildland Fire Terminology from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, a backfire is "a fire set along the inner edge of a fireline to consume the fuel in the path of a wildfire or change the direction of force of the fire's convection column."

The concern over the next few days is that while there is rain in the forecast, it seems unlikely that there will be enough rain to fully control the fire as more than an inch of rain will be needed. 

For more information see this report (includes video of NJFFS press conference) from CBS2 in NYC and this report from NJ Advance Media

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season - Busy Week

This has been a busy week for the New Jersey Forest Fire Service and various mutual aid local fire companies, in part due to the severe fire weather over the last three days that is continuing today, April 14th.

Fire Weather Planning Forecast National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ 10:06 AM EDT Fri Apr 14 2023

.DISCUSSION...

Another period of elevated fire weather conditions is possible today as dry and warm conditions continue. Min RH values will again drop into the 20-30% range across E PA and N NJ, with higher min RH values around 30-35% across S NJ and Delmarva. S SW winds around 10mph, with isolated gusts up to 15mph are possible through the afternoon. At this time, criteria does not meet Red Flag Warning, but we will be in contact with our partners later this morning to determine if a SPS is needed.

By this weekend, we will finally see some much needed rainfall, with amounts near a quarter of an inch. This may temporarily limit the risk of fire spread until early next week.

While I have been focusing on two major wildfires including the Kanouse Fire that is still burning, I am aware that many smaller but not insignificant wildfires and brush fires have burned this week. Unfortunately, I do not have a list of these fires, but I know that they were there. New Jersey Forest Service Wildland Firefighters assisted by local fire companies, some of which are volunteers have worked these fires. With the Kanouse Fire still burning in West Milford, I am not sure of the specifics of the availability of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service's contract airplanes or the NJFFS helicopters based in northern New Jersey. 

Kudos to all the firefighters working these fires. Thanks for your sacrifice to keep us safe.

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Jimmy's Waterhole Fire in Manchester Twshp (Ocean County) is fully contained

On April 12th, I wrote about the Jimmy's Waterhole Fire that burned 3,859 acres in Manchester Township, Ocean County New Jersey. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service is reporting that this fire is at 100% containment as of 10 AM on April 13th. Kudos to all the firefighters on the ground and in the air for working to contain this fire.

If you are looking for my post on the Kanouse Fire in West Milford, Passaic County NJ, please see this post.

 

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Elevated Risk of Wildfires (April 13)

 Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
238 AM EDT Thu Apr 13 2023

DEZ001>004-MDZ012-015-019-020-NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-055-
060>062-070-071-101>106-140000-
New Castle-Kent-Inland Sussex-Delaware Beaches-Kent MD-
Queen Annes-Talbot-Caroline-Sussex-Warren-Morris-Hunterdon-
Somerset-Middlesex-Western Monmouth-Eastern Monmouth-Mercer-Salem-
Gloucester-Camden-Northwestern Burlington-Ocean-Cumberland-
Atlantic-Cape May-Atlantic Coastal Cape May-Coastal Atlantic-
Coastal Ocean-Southeastern Burlington-Carbon-Monroe-Berks-Lehigh-
Northampton-Delaware-Philadelphia-Western Chester-Eastern Chester-
Western Montgomery-Eastern Montgomery-Upper Bucks-Lower Bucks-
Including the cities of Wilmington, Dover, Georgetown,
Rehoboth Beach, Chestertown, Centreville, Easton, Denton, Newton,
Washington, Morristown, Flemington, Somerville, New Brunswick,
Freehold, Sandy Hook, Trenton, Pennsville, Glassboro, Camden,
Cherry Hill, Moorestown, Mount Holly, Jackson, Millville,
Hammonton, Cape May Court House, Ocean City, Atlantic City,
Long Beach Island, Wharton State Forest, Jim Thorpe, Stroudsburg,
Reading, Allentown, Bethlehem, Media, Philadelphia, Honey Brook,
Oxford, West Chester, Kennett Square, Collegeville, Pottstown,
Norristown, Lansdale, Chalfont, Perkasie, Morrisville,
and Doylestown
238 AM EDT Thu Apr 13 2023

...ELEVATED RISK OF WILDFIRE SPREAD THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS
EVENING...

A combination of low relative humidity, westerly breezes, and dry
fine fuels will lead to an elevated risk for fire spread with any
potential fire starts Thursday afternoon and evening across
eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and the eastern shores
of Maryland.

Minimum relative humidity values this afternoon will range from
22 to 26 percent across the region. Winds will be somewhat lighter
and not as gusty as the past couple of days. However, this
afternoon into early evening west winds will still be sustained 8
to 12 mph, and a brief gust to 20 mph cannot be ruled out. Fine
fuels in the form of dry or dead vegetation will be quite dry as
well, and conducive to fire starts and fairly quick fire spread.
This is particularly true in areas that have not received hardly
any rainfall in the last 10 days, across much of Pennsylvania to
northern and central New Jersey.

Residents are urged to exercise caution if handling any potential
ignition source, including machinery, cigarettes, and matches. Be
sure to properly discard all smoking materials. Any dry grasses,
dead leaves, and other tree litter that ignite will have the
potential to spread fire quickly.

For more information about wildfire danger, burn restrictions,
and wildfire prevention and eduction, please visit your state`s
forestry or environmental protection website.

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Kanouse Fire, West Milford Township (Passaic County)

April 13, 4:45 PM

The New Jersey Forest Fire continues to fight the Kanouse Fire in Milford Township in Passaic County. At the time I write this, the fire has burned 400 acres. 

April 13, 11:30 AM

The New Jersey Forest Fire continues to fight the Kanouse Fire in Milford Township in Passaic County. The Kanouse Fire has burned 250 acres in rugged terrain. Route 23 North is now open but Echo Lake Road remains closed. Structures are no longer threatened. ABC 7 in New York City in New York City streamed a NJFFS press conference at 11 AM which I caught the tail end of.  ABC 7's updated report on the fire may be found here. In addition, New Jersey Advance Media reported on this fire in an April 13th late morning update that may be found here.

April 12, 9:20 PM

The New Jersey Forest Fire is fighting a second larger fire tonight, this one in Milford Township in Passaic County. The Kanouse Fire has currently burned about 140 acres and is at 0% containment. Ten structures are threatened. Route 23 Northbound and Echo Lake Road are closed near the fire.. See this article from NJ Advance Media. 

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Major Wildfire in Manchester Township (Ocean County) and Fire Weather Watch

April 13, 12  PM

The Jimmy's Waterhole Fire has been contained, see my April 13th post for a report from the NJ Forest Fire Service along with some pictures.

April 12, 9 PM

The Jimmy's Waterhole Fire currently burning in Manchester Township remains at 3,859 acres with 75% containment. There are no more road closures. No injuries have been reported and no structures are threatened. Scroll down for earlier updates on this fire. Kelly Anderson of Wildfire Today reported on this fire in an April 12th post.

April 12, 4:30 PM

The Jimmy's Waterhole Fire currently burning in Manchester Township remains at 3,859 acres with 60% containment. Two Blackhawk helicopters from the New Jersey Air National Guard have been dropping on this fire. In an article just posted at 4:17 PM, New Jersey Advance Media reported on a 3 PM update from the NJ Forest Fire Service, unfortunately this excellent article is behind a paywall. I am a subscriber to the Star Ledger (a NJ Advance Media newspaper), I read that  Routes 539 and 70 remain open with only a couple of local roads remaining closed. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The NJ Forest Fire Service and Joint Base McGuire-Dix continue to fight the fire on the ground. No injuries have been reported.

This article from News12NJ is freely available and 6ABC in Philadelphia has updated their reports on the fire.

 

April 12, 10:30 AM

I listened to a 10 AM press conference where officials reported on the Jimmy's Waterhole Fire currently burning in Manchester Township, burning 3.859 acres. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service, Joint Base McQuire, and local fire companies responded to this wildfire. No injures have been reported  and no property has been damaged. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service is optimistic that containment lines will hold. See this report from 6ABC and this update from NJ Advance Media for more information.

April 12, 8:30 AM

There were several wildfires across New Jersey yesterday. The largest of these is the Jimmy's Waterhole Fire that has burned 2,500 acres as of early this morning. Evacuations were in place yesterday evening and I understand from this 6ABC report that these evacuation orders have been lifted and residents are allowed to return to their homes and Routes 70 and 539 are now open.

Here are some earlier reports on the wildfires:

• News 12 report on fires in NJ
• Asbury Park Press report on Manchester wildfire
• NJ Advance Media on Manchester wildfire

Direct link to video taken by an ABC6 helicopter from ABC6 on YouTube

This wildfire is showing up on the NWS Mt Holly NJ radar.

The National Weather Service issued the following fire weather forecast on April 12

Fire Weather Planning Forecast

National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ

405 AM EDT Wed Apr 12 2023

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM EDT THIS MORNING

THROUGH THIS EVENING...

.DISCUSSION...

Southwest winds will usher a warmer and somewhat more `moist`

airmass into the region on Wednesday. That does not mean it will

not still be quite dry, from an RH standpoint. High

temperatures will be in the upper 70s to low 80s. Surface dew

points will also rise well into the 40s, though. Actually

trimmed those values back a little bit given where RH ended up

on Tuesday, and particularly the MOS and HRRR suggesting

dewpoints will not reach the upper 40s until the evening. Thus

despite the much higher dewpoints than Tuesday, with temps 5 to

8 degrees higher, MinRH values on Wednesday will range around

27 to 32 percent. Winds will be around 15 mph with 20 to 25 mph

gusts. A Fire Weather Watch is now in effect for the eastern

shores of Maryland and eastern Pennsylvania. That said, winds

may only occasionally gust to the 20 mph criteria, and RH looks

marginally near the 30% criteria, while 10-hour fuel moisture

is rumored to be somewhat marginal near 10% as well. Expect at

least an SPS will be issued for elevated fire weather conditons

for our entire area, and we will see after the morning

coordination with partners if a Red Flag Warning would be more

prudent for part of our area. In any case, all of this is

semantics to a certain degree; we had several wildfires in the

area on Tuesday, including a rather large one near Lakehurst, NJ

that continues to burn over 500 acres. While RH will be a little

higher than Tuesday, conditions will still be conducive to

wildfire starts and potentially rapid spread.

Conditions for Thursday and Friday are somewhat similar to

Wednesday. As both temperatures and dew points rise into the low

80s and upper 40s/low 50s respectively, forecast min RHs remain

steady around 30 to 35 percent for much of the region. Winds do

appear to be slightly lighter though with sustained winds

around 10 to 15 mph and gusts up to 20 mph possible Thursday.

Winds are expected to be lighter still on Friday with winds

around 10 mph. As a result, meteorological conditions for fire

weather are marginal for Thursday and Friday. A Special Weather

Statement remains possible for either day.

New Jersey Forest Fire Service: Protecting Your Home from Wildfires

Here is a Facebook post from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service with a video on the danger poised by embers from wildfires to our residences and businesses. Note their link to Firewise where you may see a checklist for protecting our homes and  detailed information about the home ignition zone (HIZ) referenced in the graphical representation of the ignition zone around our homes.

Obtained on April 10, 2023 from NJFFS Firewise Page

The NJDEP has included the Ember video that the NJFFS shared in the above Facebook post on their YouTube channel so I am sharing it below

Direct link to NJDEP video on YouTube

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: From the NJ Forest Fire Service about Peak Wildfire Season

 As we in New Jersey enter the peak wildfire season, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service issued a news release on April 3rd: Forest Fire Service Reminds Residents to be Careful with Fire as New Jersey Enters Peak Wildfire Season. It is worth the read, and I as a New Jersey resident do try to be mindful of what the NJFFS has written. Here are some of my take aways from this news release:

• New Jersey is experiencing more severe weather conditions including storms and drought that means a longer wildfire season.
• Residents should take steps to protect their homes, refer to Firewise for steps you can take to protect your homes. 
• New Jersey's wildfire season started early this year with 315 wildfires burning 919.75 acres through April 3rd including the 418 acres Governors Branch Wildfire in the Stafford Forge Wildlife Management Area in Ocean County.
• February was very dry, coming in at the eleventh driest since 1895.
• Most wildfires in New Jersey are caused by humans: “Ninety-nine percent of wildfires in New Jersey are caused by humans through accidents, carelessness, negligence and even arson,” said Greg McLaughlin, Administrator and Chief of the Forest Fire Service. “The Forest Fire Service works diligently with local communities to educate residents how to keep their homes ‘Firewise’ in areas with high wildfire risk.”
• There are things we can do prevent wildfires such as not disposing of cigarettes on the ground, be careful with fireplaces and wood burning stoves, thoroughly douse a camp fire, and be sure it is cold to the touch, teach children about fire safety, and keep matches and lighters away from children. See the news release for more ways we can help prevent wildfires.

2023 Wildfire Season: Brushfire in Baltimore County MD

For several years when I was a teenager and young adult I lived in Maryland and went to high school in Baltimore County, Maryland, so I when I learned of a brush fire in the Soilder's Delight Natural Environment Area in Owings Mill (Baltimore County), I knew that I wanted to write a post about this brush fire. The good news is that the brush fire that burned approximately 700 acres on April 4th was contained last night. Evacuations of 29 nearby residences were in place. This was an eight alarm fire with the assistance of the Maryland Forest Fire Service. See this April 5th report from WBAL for more information. 

The video below, also from WBAL, is a report from yesterday afternoon featuring a Baltimore County Fire Official.

Direct link to video from WBAL TV11 on YouTube

2023 Wildfire Season: March 31 Wildfires in Oklahoma

I would like to thank a good friend who gave me a heads up about the wildfire outbreak in Oklahoma on March 31st. He spoke of around 100 fires that left many houses destroyed. So, I went to see what I could find out for you.

Here is a tweet from the Oklahoma Forest Service on April 1st

#SitRep UPDATE: 97 new wildfires yesterday. Assessments ongoing. Fire danger will remain a headline through much of the week ahead especially for northern and western Oklahoma.
Read the new report here: https://t.co/IO2EqrKPno#OKWX #WildfireAware #WildfirePrevention pic.twitter.com/jaoha9E1LO

— Oklahoma Forestry Services (@OKForestService) April 1, 2023

 The report referenced in the tweet was removed by the time I accessed the link. However, I found a running account of the wildfire outbreak starting early on March 31st and ending late in the afternoon of April 1 from KOCO News 5 that may be found here. If you scroll down you can read an account of the wildfires with videos. Their last update was on April 1 at 5:40 PM, they reported

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security released an update on the number of homes impacted in Friday's wildfires, as well as the number of injuries.

More than 30 homes were destroyed in the Simpson Road fire in Logan County. Damage assessment is still ongoing. Three homes were destroyed and three more received minor damage in the Hefner Road fire. Seven homes were destroyed in the Gap Road fire in northeast Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health said 32 injuries related to fires, fire weather and high winds were reported by area hospitals. (obtained on April 3, 2023, 1:55PM from https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-city-fire-kelley-hefner-structures/43481705)

I understand from the NWS Weather Forecast Office at Norman Oklahoma that there will be extreme fire danger in Oklahoma on Tuesday, April 4th with elevated fire danger for the rest of the week.

obtained on April 3, 2023 at 1:55 PM from https://www.weather.gov/oun/

 

The Oklahoman has some coverage last updated on March 31st at 7:26 PM on the wildfires. 

I close with two news reports from KOCO that I found on YouTube reporting the wildfire outbreak on March 31st. I believe, but am not certain that both video reports were on March 31st. The first video is during daylight hours and the second report is after night fall.

Direct link to video from KOCO on YouTube

Direct link to video from KOCO on YouTube