2024 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Wildfire in Brendon T. Byrne State Forest (Burlington County)

October 16, 7:15 PM (posted Oct. 17, 7:15 AM)

Thanks to the NJ Forest Fire Service and Mutual Aid Fire Departments for responding to this fire yesterday bringing the fire to 60 percent containment by early evening on October 16th. Nice job!

Thanks to the B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page for sharing this eight minute from New Jersey Shore Fire Response of the response to this wildfire this morning. (added at 10:15 AM on Oct. 17th)

Direct link to video from New Jersey Shore Fire Response on YouTube

October 16, 2:30 PM

This just in, there is a multi-acre wildfire burning in the Brendon T. Byrne State Forest in Pemberton, Burlington County NJ. Unfortunately, I am unable to locate the road (Mary Ann Forge Rd.) cited by the New Jersey Forest Fire Service so I am unable to show you an approximate location for the wildfire. I expect another update from the NJ Forest Fire Service later this afternoon or this evening and will update this post at that time.

New South Wales Rural Fire Service: Helicopter Pilot Profile

 I pay some attention to New South Wales in Australia in part because I have acquaintances in New South Wales but also because as I can, I try to have an international perspective on aerial wildland fire fighting. While perusing the New South Wales Rural Fire Service's Facebook page the other day I came across their member profile of Mick Cantwell a helicopter pilot who is also a remote area firefighter. 

2024 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Elevated Risk of Wildfires (Oct 15)

 

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
941 AM EDT Tue Oct 15 2024

NJZ001-007>010-012>027-152200-
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-
Including the cities of 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,
and Wharton State Forest
941 AM EDT Tue Oct 15 2024

...Increased Fire Weather Concerns for Tuesday through 6PM...

Fire weather risks are elevated for Tuesday, October 15th. Breezy
winds with occasional gusts near 20 mph, relative humidity values
near 30-35%, and dry fuels will combine to make conditions more
favorable for the spread of wildfires. Any fires that develop may
become challenging to contain.

Importance of Maintenance Checks of Aircraft

 Regular maintenance checks are important for the safety of all aircraft including but not limited to air tankers, firefighting helicopters, and support aircraft. Some shorter maintenance checks are done during the firefighting season that may only take an airtanker out of service for a night. Other maintenance checks take longer, such as the fall maintenance checks that Coulson is currently doing on their aircraft in advance of the fire season in Australia. 

NSW Rural Fire Service's Bomber 210, a Coulson air tanker, did good service in California during their summer fire season and is back in Australia for their fire season.

2024 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Medford Twshp Burlington County Contained

October 12, 7:05 AM

I saw this wildfire alert from the NJ Forest Fire Service last night. I have no other information. The NJ Forest Fire Service will be posting an update later this morning, stay tuned and I will update this post. 

October 12, 1:30 PM

The NJ Forest Fire Service reports that the wildfire in Medford Township, Burlington County is at 100% containment and no structures are threatened. Nice job.

Hurricane Hunter flies into Hurricane Milton Before Landfall

I have seen a video on various Florida media sites on YouTube of a hurricane hunter aircraft flying into Hurricane Milton the day before Milton made landfall near Siesta Key on the Gulf Coast of Florida at about 8:30 PM on October 9th. I spent some time looking at different versions of this video from media sites before settling on the one that I am embedding below because it shows the turbulence experienced as they were flying into Milton and some shots from the cockpit. The YouTube video is from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The first couple of minutes of the video where they are showing the effect of some turbulence gave me a look into what the crews of the hurricane hunters go through as they fly hurricanes to provide information for the National Hurricane Center's hurricane forecasts and related information.

First Energy Sent Crews to Help With Electricity Restoration After Hurricane Helene

First Energy is my electric supplier. Thank-you First Energy for helping out with electricity restoration in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

New Jersey Forest Fire Service Deployed a Chainsaw Crew to Help With Hurricane Helene Recovery

 I am happy that the NJ Forest Fire Service has sent a chainsaw crew to help with Hurricane Helene recovery. The NJ Forest Fire Service honors all of us in New Jersey by helping out with this recovery. Thank-you to the chainsaw crew for helping out. 

Hurricane Hunters 2024 Edition Part 3

 I have a great deal of respect for the good work that hurricane hunter aircraft and their crew do flying into hurricanes to get information on tropical storms and hurricanes to help with hurricane forecast, information that can only be gotten from a hurricane hunter aircraft. I posted two articles on hurricane hunter aircrafts early in the hurricane season, one on June 3rd and the second on July 8th. After reading about Hurricane Milton that is currently churning in the Gulf of Mexico I wanted to find some videos to share with you about the work that hurricane hunters do. I want to thank the crews of the hurricane hunter aircraft for their dangerous work of flying into hurricanes in order that those in the path of a hurricane may take appropriate action to be safe.

I begin by sharing a Facebook post by the National Hurricane Center posted about 9:30 AM on October 7th.

Here are two videos, the first is a short video of a hurricane hunter flying into the eye of Helene. The second video is from The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (2019) that is a rerun so to speak

Direct link to video from WFLA News Channel 6 on YouTube

Direct link to video from The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on YouTube

Fire Camp May 2024: NJ Forest Fire Service and North Atlantic Fire Science Exchange

I enjoyed this video from the NJ Dept of Environmental Protection - Forest Fire Service highlighting the May 2024 four day workshop in the Pinelands. I always learn a lot from videos like this one. I appreciate what the New Jersey Forest Fire Service does to keep us safe as well as their partnership in this and other Fire Camps.

New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Deleware Helping with Hurricane Helene Recovery

I am sure that many States are sending emergency workers and first responders to towns and states impacted by Hurricane Helene including but not limited to National Guard troops.

I know that the New York Army National Guard has deployed 17 soldiers and three CH47-Chinook Helicopters to support recovery efforts in North and South Carolina, see this September 29th press release from NY Governor Kathy Hochul for more information. Emergency workers and first responders from the Delaware Valley (Delaware, southern NJ, and southeast Pennsylvania) have been deployed to areas affected by Helene including first responders and utility workers, see this report from CBS news .

I want to share Facebook links from two groups of first responders from New Jersey who have deployed to areas affected by Helene; the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management and the New Jersey State Police Task Force 1. When you see these images, I am sure that they reflect what first responders from other states are doing to help communities affected by Helene.

Thanks to all the emergency workers and first responders including but not limited to Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York for your service. Stay safe.