2025 Wildfire Season: Large Airtankers Worked Recent Wildfires in North and South Carolina

Airtankers and helicopters on federal contracts are a national resource. While most of these firefighting aircraft and lead aircraft work in the western United States, any State Forest Service can request the help of these firefighting aircraft. I try to pay attention to when any airtankers are working wildfires on the east coast. I wrote about Super Scoopers from Bridger Aerospace helping out in North Carolina on March 31  Today I am focusing on large airtankers that helped fight these wildfires. I am grateful to see that both Neptune Aviation Services and !0 Tanker Air Carrier recently worked wildfires that burned in North and South Carolina. While I have read that there were numerous helicopters with buckets working these fires and helicopters can do a lot of good in helping the wildland firefighters on the ground, it is always helpful to have the help of larger airtankers such as those from 10 Tanker Air Carrier and Neptune Aviation. I am glad that both companies had large airtankers available to help out both states. Neptune Aviation’s Bae-146 can drop up to 3,000 gallons of retardant and 10 Tankers DC-10’s can drop up to 9,400 gallons of retardant.

Note: I embedded two images from Facebook below this paragraph, one from the North Carolina Forest Service showing a BAe0-146 airtanker from Neptune Aviation's working a wildfire and the other from 10 Tanker. If you can not see these images, either because you are using a cellphone or for other reasons,  Neptune Aviation’s post may be found here, and 10 Tanker’s post may be found on this page. 

2025 Wildfire Season: Tablerock Wildfire & other Wildfires in North Carolina

Direct link to video from WLOS News 13 on YouTube.

I have been aware of the many wildfires burning in North and South Carolina for several days. I spent some time in North Carolina outside of Asheville several years ago and still remember the beautiful country in the mountains and valleys in western North Carolina, and I am saddened by these wildfires. The video that I shared above highlights several of the wildfires currently burning in North and South Carolina where recent rains have helped wildland firefighters achieve higher containment levels. Thanks to my friends at the B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page who shared this video on their website today.

One of the wildfires of note that I have heard of through my news feed is the Table Rock Fire that has currently burned 15,642 acres in northern South Carolina and bordering North Carolina. As I write this post, it is at 70 percent containment and is caused by humans. The fire was first reported on March 24th.

Direct link to video from Carolina Fox on YouTube

CL415 Super Scoopers

Direct link to post from The Film Gate (with stock footage) on YouTube

I have been thinking about the CL415 Super Scoopers today because I know from a Facebook Post that Super Scoopers from Bridger Aerospace are working the wildfires currently burning in North Carolina. I want to thank Bridger Aerospace for helping my friends out in North Carolina.

2025 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Elevated Wildfire Risk (March 29th)

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
559 AM EDT Sat Mar 29 2025

NJZ001-007>010-012>027-292300-
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
559 AM EDT Sat Mar 29 2025

...Increased Risk of Rapid Fire Spread This Afternoon...

There is an increased risk for rapid fire spread this afternoon
across much of New Jersey. Minimum relative humidity values will
be around 30 to 35 percent combined with southwest winds of 10 to
20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph. High temperatures will be in the
upper 70s to low 80s. These conditions, along with the continued
drying of fine fuels, could support the rapid spread of any fires
that ignite, which could quickly become difficult to control.

Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged. Be sure to properly
extinguish or dispose of any potential ignition sources, including
smoking materials such as cigarette butts.

Special Weather Statement...CORRECTED
National Weather Service New York NY
618 AM EDT Sat Mar 29 2025

NJZ002-004-006-103>108-NYZ074-292100-
Western Passaic-Eastern Passaic-Hudson-Western Bergen-
Eastern Bergen-Western Essex-Eastern Essex-Western Union-
Eastern Union-Richmond (Staten Island)-
618 AM EDT Sat Mar 29 2025

...ELEVATED RISK OF RAPID WILDFIRE GROWTH AND SPREAD TODAY...

High temperatures in the upper 70s and lower 80s, southwest winds
15 to 20 mph with frequent gusts 25 to 30 mph, relative humidity
as low as 30 to 35 percent, and lack of wetting rains over the
last 4 days will create an elevated risk for wildfire growth and
spread today.

Exercise caution handling any potential ignition sources,
including machinery, cigarettes, and matches. Any fires that
ignite under these conditions have the potential to spread
quickly.

This forecast considers meteorological, fuel, and land conditions
and was developed in coordination with state fire and land
management officials. 

Friday Fun: Aerial (Agricultural) Spraying

 It is time for some Friday Fun focusing on aviation. As a non-pilot member of the AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) I know that they produce interesting aviation related videos both for their members and the general public. I happened upon an AOPA video looking at an Aerial Spraying Operator in my part of the world in the Mid-Atlantic area of the United States. The video that I am sharing hear is about Chroman Spraying's aerial spraying operations. You will hear Jeff Chroman talk about the history of Chorman Spraying, their focus on aerial spraying for agriculture and learn a little about the different types of aircraft they fly, all configured for aerial operations. There is also some nice footage of their aircraft spraying. Enjoy. The video is under seven minutes.

Direct link to video from the AOPA on YouTube

2025 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Elevated Wildfire Risk (March 27th)

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
316 AM EDT Thu Mar 27 2025

NJZ001-007>010-012>027-271800-
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
316 AM EDT Thu Mar 27 2025

...Increased Risk of Rapid Fire Spread Later Today...
There is an increased risk for rapid fire spread later today
across portions of New Jersey. Minimum relative humidity values
will be around 20 percent combined with west to northwest winds of
10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. High temperatures today
will be in the mid to upper 50s. These conditions, along with the
continued drying of fine fuels, could support the rapid spread of
any fires that ignite, which could quickly become difficult to
control.
Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged. Be sure to properly
extinguish or dispose of any potential ignition sources, including
smoking materials such as cigarette butts. 

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service New York NY

407 PM EDT Wed Mar 26 2025

NJZ002-004-006-103>108-NYZ074-272300-

Western Passaic-Eastern Passaic-Hudson-Western Bergen-

Eastern Bergen-Western Essex-Eastern Essex-Western Union-

Eastern Union-Richmond (Staten Island)-

407 PM EDT Wed Mar 26 2025

...ELEVATED RISK FOR FIRE SPREAD THURSDAY...

The combination of low relative humidity values between 20 and 30

percent and wind gusts 20 to 25 mph will create an elevated risk

for fire spread across the region on Thursday.

Exercise caution handling any potential ignition sources, including

machinery, cigarettes, and matches. Any fires that ignite will have

the potential to spread quickly.

This forecast considers meteorological, fuel, and land conditions

and has been developed in coordination with state fire and land

management officials.

2025 Wildfire Season: Devastating Wildfires in South Korea

Direct link to video from WKRN News 2 on YouTube

Thanks to my friends at the B10 NJ Wildfire Page and yesterdays edition (March 25th) of  Wildfire News of the Day by Mike Archer who made me aware of the devastating wildfires in South Korea that have burned over 40,000 acres and killed 24 people, 26 are injured and more than 23,000 people were evacuated. If I am not mistaken the wildfires began on or about Friday, March 21st. The video that I embedded above was shared today on the B10 NJ Wildfire Page. It appears that weather conditions favorable to wildfires will continue in South Korea for at least a day or so. 

Included among the articles shared in yesterday's edition of Wildfire News of the Day are these three articles.

• March 25th report from Reuters
• Satellite images from SciTechDaily
• Photos from the Korea Herald

The 6 minute video that I embed below is from BBC. You will learn more about these wildfires if you take a few moments to watch the video.

Direct link to video from BBC on YouTube

2025 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Elevated Wildfire Risk (March 25th)

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
819 AM EDT Tue Mar 25 2025

NJZ001-007-PAZ054-055-060>062-101-260000-
Sussex-Warren-Carbon-Monroe-Berks-Lehigh-Northampton-
Western Chester-
Including the cities of Newton, Washington, Jim Thorpe,
Stroudsburg, Reading, Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Honey Brook,
and Oxford
819 AM EDT Tue Mar 25 2025

...Increased Risk of Rapid Fire Spread This Afternoon...

There is an increased risk for rapid fire spread this afternoon
across portions of eastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New
Jersey. Minimum relative humidity values will be between 20 and
30 percent combined with west winds of 10-20 mph and gusts of 20
to 30 mph. High temperatures this afternoon will range from
the upper 40s to upper 50s. These conditions along with the
continued drying of fine fuels could support the rapid spread of
any fires that ignite, which could quickly become difficult to
control.

Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged. Be sure to properly
extinguish or dispose of any potential ignition sources, including
smoking materials such as cigarette butts.

$$
RCM

2025 New Jersey Wildfire Season: California Branch Wildfire is Contained

If you are unable to see the graphic that I shared from the post by the NJ Forest Fire Service on Facebook on Monday, March 24th at 8:30 AM, the California Branch is now contained. The California Branch fire that burned 2,336 acres in Wharton State Forest near Waterford in Camden County was first reported at 12:57 PM on Saturday March 23rd by a nearby fire tower and a second fire tower observed the same start so the exact location of the wildfire was identified. The wildfire crossed the Mullica River into Burlington County sometime Saturday night. Two campgrounds near the wildfire in Wharton State Forest were evacuated and I believe that they are now open. All roads in the vicinity of the wildfire are now open. The cause of the wildfire is under investigation. See the above NJFFS post for some photos of the fire. 

Local media covering this wildfire include 

• CBS Philadelphia
• New Jersey dot com
• News 12 New Jersey

Unfortunately, I am unable to share a similar graphic that the NJ Forest Fire Service shared on their X account, formerly Twitter.

2025 New Jersey Wildfire Season: California Branch Wildfire - Wharton State Forest ( March 23rd Update)

March 23rd, 6 PM

As of 6 PM the California Branch Fire has burned 2,300 acres in the Wharton State Forest near Waterford Township in Camden County, NJ. It is 80 percent contained. There continue to be road closures in Wharton State Forest and two campgrounds continue are still evacuated. There are still 18 structures near the wildfire and the fire continues to move away from these structures. Crews with equipment remain on scene fighting this wildfire. For more information not detailed in the NJFFS graphic from the X platform, please go the NJFFS March 23rd, 6 PM post on Facebook. NJ dot com has a current article on this wildfire that may be found here.

WILDFIRE UPDATE: California Branch Wildfire - Wharton State Forest - Waterford, Camden County

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service continues to make significant process containing a wildfire burning in the area of Raritan Ave and Old Atsion Rd in Wharton State Forest. pic.twitter.com/A7y8pUlvDr

— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) March 23, 2025

March 23rd, 8:10 AM

As of 8:10 AM the California Branch Wildfire has burned 1,750 acres and is at 50 percent containment.

The California Branch Wildfire started on Saturday, March 23rd in Wharton State Forest in Waterford Township, Camden County NJ, see my March 22nd post for earlier updates. By 11 PM on March 22nd, the fire had burned 1,000 acres and was at 20 percent containment according to this Facebook Post by the NJ Forest Fire Service. 

According to the 8 AM update on Facebook from the NJFFS Crews from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) continued to work the fire overnight and are continuing to work the wildfire as I write this. Eighteen structures are located near the wildfire but the wildfire is still moving away from these structures. There are road closures within Wharton State Forest and two campgrounds are closed. Last night the wildfire crossed the Mullica River into Burlington County, NJ. NBC 10 Philadelphia continues to report on the wildfire. The B10 NJ Wildfire Page is reporting on this wildfire on March 23rd.

Unfortunately, I am unable to embed the latest 8AM update from the NJFFS's X account, formerly Twitter. The graphic above is from the NJFFS's Facebook account which I linked to earlier in this paragraph, unfortunately some of you will not be able to see this graphic.

2025 New Jersey Wildfire Season: California Branch Wildfire - Wharton State Forest

March 22nd, 6:15 PM 

WILDFIRE UPDATE: California Branch Wildfire - Wharton State Forest - Waterford, Camden County@NJDEPForestFire is on scene of a wildfire burning in the area of Raritan Ave and Old Atsion Rd in Wharton State Forest.

SIZE & CONTAINMENT
🔥 100 acres
🔥 0% contained pic.twitter.com/ewObYYlZ05

— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) March 22, 2025

According to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service's post on Facebook about this fire at about 4 PM on Saturday, March 22nd, there are road closures in the area of this wildfire. Eighteen structures are threatened with no evacuations. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service is on the scene with engines, bulldozers and ground crews. In addition, there is a New Jersey Forest Fire Service on the scene making aerial observations. The next update is due at 9 PM, and I will try to make an update at that time. I first learned of this fire from my friends at the B10 NJ Wildfire Page. NBC 10 Philadelphia is reporting on this fire in a report that may be found here.

March 22nd, 7:50 PM

WILDFIRE UPDATE: California Branch Wildfire - Wharton State Forest - Waterford, Camden County

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service remains on scene of a wildfire burning in the area of Raritan Ave and Old Atsion Rd in Wharton State Forest. pic.twitter.com/UDjWRQmPug

— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) March 22, 2025

Eighteen structures remain threatened but the wildfire is moving away from these structures. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service remains on scene. This same information with more information on road closures are available on the NJ Forest Fire Service's Facebook page on a 7:45 PM post. 

 

2025 Wildfire Season: Brushfire in Syracuse NY

Direct link to video from NewsChannel 9 WSYR Syracuse

I am not intimately familiar with Syracuse but have traveled through Syracuse on more than one occasion to see family in upstate New York. Further, as I am always on the lookout for brushfires or wildfires of any size on the east coast of the United States. My thanks to Mike Archer of Wildfire News of the Day for his great newsletter that often highlights brush and wildfires that I would not always know about. Such was the case in his March 20th newsletter when I saw this March 20th article on Syracuse.com about a small brushfire that burned near a park in Syracuse, New York on March 19th. While small in size, the winds lead to 30 foot high flames that were visible for several miles. The fire was fully contained and extinguished sometime during the night of March 19th at four or five acres. As I think about this brushfire, I am reminded that there are many brushfires of this size in the eastern U.S and elsewhere that many do not know about. In particular, I am reminded of the large number of brushfires of this size in my own state of New Jersey, most of which I do not know about. Wildfire fighting crews along with mutual aid do good work in keeping many brushfires small in size in order to protect nearby businesses and residents. Still, if you live close to one of these small brushfires, it can be scary. Thank-you wildland firefighters for working these small brushfires, your work is greatly appreciated

Getting Air Tankers and Helos Ready for 2025 Wildfire Season in U.S.

I have been doing this blog long enough to know that both spring maintenance and annual pilot training are done by companies with aircraft that fly fires do each year. I write this post as an acknowledgement of how important each are to safety and efficiency.

This is the time of year when companies with aircraft that fly fires in the United States perform what is sometimes known as spring maintenance on their aircraft to get them ready for the fire season. While I don't know how much time is involved nor do I know the particulars of what each company with aircraft the flies fires does, I believe the spring maintenance on each aircraft may go on for several days depending on what needs to be done. In addition, maintenance is done through the fire season as required to keep the aircraft performing in peak efficiency. All companies do this those with air tankers, lead planes, and helicopters. The examples that I know of are for air tankers only, please take them as an example that will apply to all aircraft flying fires. Neptune Aviation has a few pictures of their spring maintenance on their air tankers that they shared on their Facebook account which is found at this link. Coulson shared the following on X, formerly twitter:

A well-cared-for tanker is a ready tanker! Tanker 138 is back from Western Australia and is now in for spring maintenance, ensuring it stays in top shape for the North American season. Behind every mission is a crew dedicated to keeping our fleet fire-ready. #coulsonaviation pic.twitter.com/eWZDUGjmvY

— Coulson Aviation (@CoulsonAviation) March 10, 2025

As many of you know, getting ready for the wildfire season is more than spring maintenance of aircraft flying fires. The pilots go through annual training to keep current. Again, the examples I know of are from companies flying air tankers but this applies to any pilot flying aircraft on wildfires. Dauntless Air flys the AT-802F Fireboss, and they shared about their annual pilot training on their Facebook Page which you may find here. In addition 10 Tanker referenced their annual pilot training on their Facebook account in a short video that you may see here.

Dauntless Air AT-802F Fireboss

Direct link to video from Dauntless Air on YouTube

On early 2009 with the help of my retired air tanker pilot friend, Tom Janney, I began to use this blog to focus on aerial wildland firefighting. Tom died in March 2024 and I wrote a post dedicated to his memory and how he helped me which can be found here. Tom helped my learn about many of the aircraft flying fires in 2009 and was always available if I had questions. Since those early days. I have had a special place in my heart for Single Engine Air Tankers, aka SEATs. Some SEATs, e.g. the Air Tractor AT-802F Fireboss scoop water out of water bodies to use in aerial firefighting. While the capacity of their tanks seems small, about 800 gallons, when compared with larger air tankers they can scoop water from a water source near the fire and make many drops in a matter of a few hours. I learned about Dauntless Air a few years ago and follow them as I can. They have a presence on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter, account required). Dauntless has a fleet of AT-802F Firebosses.

Here is a 33 second video highlighting how the Fireboss scoops water.

Direct link to video from Dauntless Air on YouTube

2025 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Scotland Run Wildfire Contained

Direct link to video from CBS Philadelphia on YouTube

Direct link to video from NBC 10 Philadelphia on YouTube

I understand from the NJ Forest Fire Service's (NJFFS) earlier posts on X, formerly Twitter, as well as a post on the B10 NJ Wildland Fire page that the Scotland Run Wildfire in Franklin Township, Gloucester County was spotted by the Blue Anchor Fire Tower at about 3:34 PM on Wednesday, March 12. Early on 60 structures were threatened but there were no evacuations. New Jersey Forest Fire Service crews will remain on scene to strengthen containment lines and to be sure that any areas of concern are addressed. For those of you who might be interested. you should be able to look at the NJFFS's earlier posts on this fire on their Facebook account: initial report, second report and the third report. I shared their final report posted to their X account below. I added the two embedded videos to this post about 1 PM on March 14th, thanks to my friends at the B10 NJ Wildland Fire page for sharing these videos today.

WILDFIRE UPDATE: Scotland Run Wildfire - Franklin Twp, Gloucester County

At 8 a.m. on Thursday, March 13, the @NJDEPForestFire achieved 100% containment of a 191-acre wildfire burning in the area of of Pennsylvania Ave and Proposed Ave in Franklin Twp, Gloucester County. pic.twitter.com/5V9Xew4tM3

— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) March 13, 2025

2025 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Prescribed Burning Continues (March 12)

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service continued to do prescribed burning on March 10th and 12th. Due to elevated wildfire danger on March 11th (see this special weather statement from the NWS Mt. Holly) there was no prescribed burning on the 11th. Unfortunately, I am not able to share the March 10th post from the NJ Forest Fire Service on X, formerly known as Twitter regarding their March 10th prescribed burns in Atlantic, Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

Today, March 12, @NJDEPForestFire plans to conduct prescribed fire operations in Burlington, Morris & Somerset counties.

🔥 Active / upcoming prescribed burn map: https://t.co/rOnoLpw39A
🔗 More info about prescribed fire: https://t.co/KkuhK2hswN pic.twitter.com/D5PvXoHlzM

— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) March 12, 2025

2025 Wildfire Season: East End Long Island Brushfires at or near Containment

The brushfires that ignited in eastern Suffolk County, Long Island, New  York on March 8th are 100 percent knocked down according to a March 10th report from News 12 Long island. I believe that they are at or near containment but firefighters may still be building line to surround the fires. Firefighters continued to work these fires on March 9th. Officials may have evidence that the fire was started accidentally on Saturday morning, March 8th be people who light a campfire in their backyard. Firefighters remain on the scene of these brushfires putting out hotspots and doing other mop-up work. You may also want to read this May 10th article on these brushfires from GreaterLongIsland dot com. For those of you who are interested, the March 10th report from News 12 Long Island includes a 25 minute video of a news conference earlier today.

I thank all the firefighters and others who responded to these fires and for keeping the residents of the east end of Long Island safe. Nice going!

Added on March 12th: There has been much coverage in various media about how the four brush fires in Eastern Long Island started. If you are interested you can go the links that I supplied in this post, or you can probably find coverage elsewhere. 

2025 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Elevated Risk of Wildfires on March 9th

There is an elevated risk of wildfires this afternoon, March 9th for all of New Jersey and some counties in adjoining areas of Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
1004 AM EDT Sun Mar 9 2025

DEZ001>004-NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-055-060>062-070-071-
101>106-092300-

New Castle-Kent-Inland Sussex-Delaware Beaches-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, 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, Easton, Media, Philadelphia, Honey Brook,
Oxford, West Chester, Kennett Square, Collegeville, Pottstown,
Norristown, Lansdale, Chalfont, Perkasie, Morrisville,
and Doylestown

1004 AM EDT Sun Mar 9 2025
...ELEVATED RISK FOR FIRE SPREAD THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON...
There is an elevated risk for fire spread this afternoon in New
Jersey, Delaware, and eastern Pennsylvania. Minimum humidity
values will fall to between 20 and 30 percent. This will be
combined with northwesterly winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts to
around 35 mph. These conditions along with the continued drying
of the fine fuels will support the rapid spread of any fires that
ignite, which could quickly become difficult to control.
Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged. Be sure to properly
extinguish or dispose of any potential ignition sources, including
smoking materials such as cigarette butts. Refer to your state`s
forest fire management agency for more information on burn
restrictions for your local area.

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service New York NY

1021 AM EDT Sun Mar 9 2025

NJZ002-004-006-103>108-092300-

Western Passaic-Eastern Passaic-Hudson-Western Bergen-

Eastern Bergen-Western Essex-Eastern Essex-Western Union-

Eastern Union-

1021 AM EDT Sun Mar 9 2025

...ELEVATED RISK FOR FIRE SPREAD THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON...

There is an elevated risk for fire spread this afternoon in New

Jersey. Minimum humidity values will fall to around 20 to 30

percent. This will be combined with northwesterly winds of 15 to

25 mph with gusts to around 35 mph. These conditions along with

the continued drying of the fine fuels will support the rapid

spread of any fires that ignite, which could quickly become

difficult to control.

Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged. Be sure to properly

extinguish or dispose of any potential ignition sources, including

smoking materials such as cigarette butts. Refer to your state`s

forest fire management agency for more information on burn

restrictions for your local area.

2025 Wildfire Season: Progress on Brushfires in Suffolk County NJ

March 9th, 7:35 AM

The crews fighting the brushfires in and around the pine barrens on the east end of Suffolk County Long Island, NY have made progress. One fire is at 80 percent containment and three other fires are reported to be extinguished. Fire Crews are remain on scene and the hope is to achieve full containment by the end of the day. News 12 Long Island continues to report on these fires, go here for their latest update. Greater Long Island dot com also continues to report on the fires, here is one of their reports featuring some videos uploaded to X formerly known as twitter taken by firefighters working the fire. A state of emergency was declared for Southampton Town in Long Island with New York Governor Kathy Hochul declaring a state of emergency shortly afterwords. National Guard and State Resources, including helicopters are available to help in the fire fighting efforts.

March 9th, 1:20 PM

A report from CBS New York quotes a Westhampton Beach Fire official saying that approximately 600 acres were burned, two commercial building were damaged, no residential buildings were damaged and there are no evacuations in place. Roadways are now open.

Direct link from CBS New York on YouTube

2025 Wildfire Season: Multiple Wildfires in Eastern Suffolk County

 March 8th, 5:15 PM

Direct link to video from News12 on Youtube.

Long Island, New York; Westchester County, New York; and northeastern New Jersey are also seeing extreme fire danger today, March 8th, go here for a report from the NWS in New York, New York; they also shared a satellite image of the smoke plume. A good friend of mine who lives in eastern Suffolk County on the east end of Long Island, New York sent me a text letting me know about brushfires in eastern Suffolk County. We talked on the phone and she suggested that I look at News12, which has an outlet covering Long Island, go here for News 12 Long Island. I found the video that I shared with you on YouTube. News 12 Long Island reported on these wildfires at about 2:30 PM on March 8th. Blackhawk helicopters are working these brushfires and the Sunrise Highway, a major highway in the area is closed in some areas near the brushfires. In addition, Greater Long Island dot com is also reporting on these fires, there article may be found here.

March 8th, 7:35 PM

News 12 Long Island continues to report on this fire, according to their latest report one firefighter was injured with second degree burns to the face and two structures have burned. Eighty fire departments that have responded. Helicopters continue to work the fire. At its largest the fire was two miles long and two and a half miles wide. The fire started at about 1 PM. Their latest updated report may be found here.

The following video is a press conference on the fire with Suffolk County officials

Direct link to video from News 12 on YouTube

2025 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Baler Wildfire, Bergen County

Direct link to video from JeffStang on YouTube.

Thanks to my friends from the B10 NJ Wildfire Page who shared this YouTube video from JeffStang of footage of the Baler Wildfire that burned on March 7th in North Arlington, NJ on Baler Blvd. As near as I can figure out from having lived near North Arlington over 20 years ago. The wildfire was near 100 Baler Blvd in North Arlington, in an area that I referred to as the Hackensack Meadowlands. At the very least, you will get an idea of where the Baler Wildfire burned. Click on the image and you can get a larger image that might be easier to read. On the right side of the image is the New Jersey Turnpike I lived a couple blocks from the Meadowlands and I could see wildfires in the Meadowlands from my house, so I can say that it is not uncommon for wildfires to occur in the Meadowlands. The video is almost nine minutes long. If you watch the video, you will get an idea of what the Meadowlands looks like. 

I found two media articles reporting on the Baler Wildfire. Both report that the fire was near Belleville Turnpike, a road that cuts through the Meadowlands. You might be able to make out Belleville Turnpike in the image below. 

• NJ Advance Media
• News12NewJersey (with video)

According to my friends at the B10 NJ Wildfire Page, the NJ Forest Fire Service was in unified command with the Kearny Fire Department, Kearny is in Hudson County bordering North Arlington (Bergen County). The Baler Wildfire burned approximately 40 acres of gras/marsh and was contained at about 9 PM on March 7th. I can say that the Kearny Fire Department as well as the Fire Departments from other towns adjoining the Hackensack Meadowlands are very good at working wildfires in the Meadowlands.

2025 New Jersey Wildfire Season: High Fire Danger on March 8th

Elevated wildfire danger in New Jersey and adjoining areas on Saturday, March 8th. I will do my best to see if there are any major wildfires tomorrow.

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ

412 PM EST Fri Mar 7 2025

DEZ001>004-MDZ012-015-019-020-NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-055-

060>062-070-071-101>106-090000-

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

412 PM EST Fri Mar 7 2025

...ELEVATED RISK FOR FIRE SPREAD SATURDAY...

There is an increased risk for fire spread on Saturday for New Jersey,

southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and northeastern Maryland.

Minimum relative humidity values will fall to between 25 and 30 percent.

This will be combined with west to northwest winds of 10 to 20 mph

and gusts up to 30 mph. These conditions will support the rapid spread

of any fires that ignite, which could quickly become difficult to

control.

Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged. Be sure to properly extinguish

or dispose of any potential ignition sources, including smoking materials

such as cigarette butts. Refer to your state`s forest fire management

agency for more information on burn restrictions for your local area.

2025 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Small Brushfire in Jackson NJ

 

Direct link to video from The Lakewood Scoop on YouTube

I am quite aware that there are innumerable smaller brushfires in New Jersey and elsewhere, however, I do not always have first hand knowledge of these brushfires. Thanks to my friends from the B10 NJ Wildfire Page who shared this video from The Lakewood Scoop yesterday. I do not know the exact date that the brushfire started, but I suspect it was midweek. This brush fire was started by downed powerlines. The brushfire quickly spread to about five acres at the time of the video was shot. There were no structures threatened. NJ Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) crews were working the fire. Watching the video I can see that local fire companies also responded to this brushfire. I do not know have any updated information about this brushfire. 

My purpose in sharing this video is to highlight the hard work that NJ Forest Fire Service crews do around New Jersey in fighting these brushfires, perhaps unnoticed outside the town where the brushfire started. I applaud and thank the NJFFS crews and mutual aid response in keeping us safe. It looks to be a busy spring fire season, stay safe everyone.

2025 New Jersey Wildfire Season: An Early Start to the Spring Wildfire Season?

Direct link to video from NBC10 Philadelphia on YouTube

I was not surprised when a friend of mine who is a wildland firefighter for the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) told me last night that the spring wildfire season in New Jersey has started earlier for the last couple of years as I had already posted about the wildfires over the weekend of March 1st and 2nd. My friend from the NJFFS was also concerned about the possibility of a very active spring wildfire season in New Jersey. One of the reasons I was not surprised is because of the ongoing drought conditions affecting most of New Jersey, see my graphic of the drought monitor on the right side of my blog for details. Anyway, the e-mail conversation with my friend from the NJFFS inspired me to write this post to point to the early start of the wildfire season in 2025 along with my concerns that the spring wildfire season may be worse. In the video that I embedded at the beginning of this article, you will hear that the wildfires that I wrote about on March 3rd were included in the approximately 50 wildfires of varying sizes, some very small, that broke out over last weekend. Furthermore, you will hear another official from the NJFFS say that so far this year there have been about four times as many wildfire since the beginning of 2025 compared with 2024. Remember that the fall drought contributed to a very busy 2024  fall wildfire season in New Jersey. 

As a subscriber to the Courier News I had access to the North Jersey paper online, where I saw a nice but concerning article about the 2025 spring wildfire season in New Jersey. The article may be found here, and I am pretty certain that this article is freely available to you. This article says in part:

This busy start to the year comes after a very active fall wildfire season fueled by ongoing drought conditions.

"Everybody knows we were crazy in the fall. Coming off one of the busiest falls that I can recall, numbers were off the charts as far as our indices and things like that, and we took a little break over the winter," Donnelly said. "It gets dark, it gets cold, things like that, but we never really got the precip necessary to where we come into this year where things start out slow. We had a warm day Saturday, just as an example, and things went crazy."

Since Jan. 1, New Jersey has seen 215 fires with a total of 515.25 acres burned. During the same period last year, the state had 69 fires and 21.5 acres burned.

I am concerned that the stage is set for a busy and active spring wildfire season. I know that we are expecting some rain in New Jersey later today, but I don't know if it will be enough to end the drought and alleviate a possible active spring wildfire season. I urge all New Jersey residents, including but not limited to those of you living near a wildland to heed the advice given in the New Jersey Forest Fire Service's  NJ Wildfire SMART page with a lot of good information about how you can keep your home safer from wildfires. I am paying attention to the information on this page because while I don't live near a larger wildland or forest, there are open spaces in the form of grasslands along with some wooded areas within a short distance of my house. Finally, while my focus here is on New Jersey, I am aware of the adjoining states of Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York. 

I thank the wildland firefighters of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service along with local fire companies who respond as a part of mutual aid for taking care to keep us safe from wildfires.

2025 New Jersey Wildfire Season: March 1st and 2nd

direct link to video from CBS Philadelphia on YouTube

Direct link to video from 6ABC on YouTube 

The National Weather Service at Mount Holly, NJ issued a Special Weather Statement on March 2nd for an increased risk of wildfire spread due to windy conditions that started Saturday, March 1st and continued into Sunday, March 2nd. As you can see from the two videos from Philadelphia media there were at least three wildfires over the weekend. In addition New Jersey Advance Media reported on these wildfires in a March 2nd article. I have information that I can share from the NJ Forest Fire Service who reported on two of the wildfires that burned over the weekend in New Jersey, the Poor Farm Wildfire in Hopewell Township, Mercer County and a Wildfire on Fort Mott Road in Pennsville Township, Mercer County.

WILDFIRE UPDATE: Poor Farm Wildfire - Hopewell Twp., Mercer County

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service remains on scene of a wildfire burning in the area of Poor Farm Road in Hopewell Twp., Mercer County.

SIZE & CONTAINMENT
🔥 293 acres
🔥 90% contained pic.twitter.com/444MEHVPxQ

— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) March 3, 2025

WILDFIRE UPDATE: Fort Mott Rd - Pennsville Twp, Salem County

New Jersey Forest Fire Service crews have made significant progress in containing a wildfire burning in the area of Fort Mott Rd in Pennsville Twp.

SIZE & CONTAINMENT
🔥 50 acres
🔥 85% contained pic.twitter.com/EX1riYUwyQ

— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) March 2, 2025

Friday Fun: Coulson 737 Pilot Shares About a Typical Day

 It has been awhile since I have posted a Friday Fun aviation video. I saw this video on " A Day in the Live of a 737 Tanker Pilot" from Coulson Aviation a few days and knew that I had to share it with you. Follow Jonas, a Coulson 737 Tanker pilot as he takes you through a typical day. Allow over eleven minutes to watch the video, it is worth the watch. Enjoy.

Direct link to video from Coulson Aviation on YouTube

2025 Australia Bushfires: Tasmania (February 22)

 I have been thinking about the current bushfire season in Tasmania, Australia, see the Tasmania Fire Service for current local information. According to a February 22nd report on ABC News Australia, this is the third week of a bushfire emergency in Australia with 97,700 hectres burned (241,422 acres) burned and gusty winds have made it difficult for responders to fight the bushfires. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service continues to provide support to Tasmania.

Members continue to support Tasmania with fires burning on the state's west coast. Remote area firefighters, inserted via helicopter, are working to extinguish hotspots on remote fire edges. Two RFS helicopters also remain deployed, providing winch and waterbombing support. pic.twitter.com/VF5grnNid4

— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) February 22, 2025

2025 New Jersey Prescribed Burning Underway

Direct link to video from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service on YouTube 

Today, Feb 24, @NJDEPForestFire plans to conduct prescribed fire operations in Burlington, Gloucester, Hunterdon & Ocean counties.

🔥 Active / upcoming prescribed burn map: https://t.co/rOnoLpw39A
🔗 More info about prescribed burning: https://t.co/KkuhK2hswN pic.twitter.com/R1qttx2l5n

— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) February 24, 2025

The late winter/early spring prescribed burning season in New Jersey is underway.  I saw the first notifications about prescribed burns in New Jersey on the New Jersey Forest Fire Service's (NJFFS) account on X (formerly known as Twitter) on February 22nd. The video that I embedded above was uploaded by the NJFFS in early spring of 2024. It is a nice short video with good information on the benefits of prescribed burns. The NJFFS has a nice page describing their prescribed burning program including some history, information on planning including the fact that the prescribed burning season is limited to October 1 to March 31, and conducting the burn along with other information. The NJFFS first conducted prescribed burns in 1928. The NJFFS has a good summary of prescribed burns on that page:

The primary purpose of prescribed burning in New Jersey is to reduce the hazardous accumulations of forest fuels. This aids in the prevention of wildfires, reduces the intensity of the fires, and also provides a foundation for safer, more effective fire suppression and protection operations.

It has proven to be an effective and economical practice in protecting New Jersey's forests and safeguarding the state's residents. While the principle reason for prescribed burning is wildfire hazard reduction, it also has numerous secondary benefits, including:

• Wildlife habitat management
• Site management for forestry activities
• Ecological plant and animal management
• Forest disease and pest control

• Nutrient recycling
• Grassland management
• Improved accessibility
• Enhanced appearances

 I will keep an eye on the prescribed burns that the NJFFS is conducting.

Coulson Aviation Retired the Phillippine Mars

 

Direct link to video from 12NewsAz on YouTube

The JRM Mars aircraft or flying boats were built in the early 1940s with delivery of the First Martin Mars in 1945. I believe that only seven were built. 

In 2007 Coulson Aviation bought two JRM-1 Mars aircraft, The Hawaii Mars iI and the Philippine Mars. These aircraft or flying boats were used for aerial wildland firefighting. The Hawaii Mars II saw its last stint fighting wildfires in 2015, when there were no buyers the Hawaii Mars II was retired to the British Columbia Aviation Museum a few months ago. The Philippine Mars required some maintenance overhauls before it could be retired to the Pima Air and Space Museum. The Aviationist has a nice article on the Philippine Mars and the other Martin Mars flying boats, go here to read this article (I hope this link works for you, my apologies if it does not.)

Direct link to video from Tobyn Burton Aviation Videos on YouTube

Direct link to video from AirRailImages on YouTube

As you can see from the videos that I have embedded above, the Philippine Mars took off from Sprout Lake in British Columbus on February 9th.

The legendary Philippine Mars is on her way to Arizona, and thanks to our partnership with SKYTRAC, you can track her journey in real time!  #coulsonaviation #philippinemartinmars 

📍 Track her progress here: https://t.co/Giv1mJwYdm pic.twitter.com/x65yHOpZeY

— Coulson Aviation (@CoulsonAviation) February 9, 2025

She arrived at Lake Pleasant Arizona on February 11th.

The Philippine Mars has arrived in Arizona! ✈️ After an incredible journey from Sproat Lake, she’s now en route to her forever home at the Pima Air & Space Museum. A historic chapter closes, but her legacy lives on. #philippinemars #aviationhistory #coulsonaviation pic.twitter.com/oVJs1iQ2Xn

— Coulson Aviation (@CoulsonAviation) February 12, 2025

The Philippine Mars was disassembled for transport to the Pima Air and Space Museum where it will be assembled before going on display at the museum go here for more information.

2024 Wildfire Season: Blue Mt Fire Lehigh Twshp PA (Nov 2-8)

Direct link to video by Northeast Bravest on YouTube

I am often, on the lookout for current or past wildfire activity in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic areas of the United States. This is another situation where I found the video that I shared about by accident because I had looked at another video by Northeast Bravest on YouTube when I saw a couple of videos of footage from the Blue Mountain Fire that according to this November 8, 2024 Lehigh Valley News Article burned approximately 600 acres near Lehigh Gap in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. I believe but am not certain that the wildfire started on November 2nd. The fire was contained on November 8th. I enjoyed watching this five-video seeing helicopters and buckets and backhoes working the fire along with some nice fire footage. I may of heard about this wildfire at the time, but I was very busy following the 2024 fall wildfire season in New Jersey at the time. I am not meaning to make excuses, but it was all I could do to focus on the wildfire situation in my own State of New Jersey.

New Jersey Wildfire SMART

 

Direct link to video from NJ Spotlight News on YouTube

Some of you know that I did my best to post about the 2024 fall wildfire season in New Jersey, the worst wildfire season in about 100 years. On February 13th New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced an initiative called New Jersey Wildfire SMART aimed at various actions that can be taken to reduce the risks posed by wildfires. In a February 13th press release announcing the New Jersey Wildfire SMART initiative, they say in part:

“New Jersey experienced significant dryness this past fall, resulting in an extended wildfire season throughout the state in 2024 and providing a sobering reminder that we must be prepared for the spring wildfire season,” said Governor Murphy. “It is more important than ever that we share information and continue to work collaboratively to protect lives, properties, and communities.” 

 

“Preparedness is essential, especially as climate change continues to exacerbate the frequency and intensity of wildfires in New Jersey,” said Commissioner LaTourette. “We need to be even more vigilant going into the spring wildfire season and follow the actions of NJ Wildfire SMART, which will help mitigate wildfire risk statewide.”

 

“The Forest Fire Service works year-round protecting New Jersey communities from the threat of wildfires,” said Greg McLaughlin, Administrator for Forests & Natural Lands. “In addition to protecting lives and property, the Forest Fire Service assists with natural disasters, maintains hundreds of miles of roads, works alongside multiple cooperators to develop and implement strategic plans that reduce the risk of future wildfires, and lends their talents to other states when wildfires strike.”



“Meeting with municipal partners ahead of New Jersey’s spring fire season is essential to strengthening communication, coordination and preparedness when addressing wildfire risk and responding to developing incidents,” said Bill Donnelly, Chief of the DEP Forest Fire Service. “We share the common goal of ensuring New Jersey’s communities and forest resources are protected from wildfires, and today’s roundtable allows us to proactively address any concerns.”

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has a new webpage devoted to New Jersey Wildfire SMART where they discuss safety, mitigation, awareness, and training along with NJFFS videos on prescribed fire, fire towers, and the use of Single Engine Airtankers to help the firefighters on the ground fight wildfires.

2025 Australia Bushfire Season: Tasmania Bushfire emergency (Feb 14th)

Direct link to video from ABC News Australia

Direct link to video from ABC News in Depth (Australia)

I posted about the bushfire emergency in Tasmania, Australia on February 12th. The bushfire emergency continues in Tasmania. For more information see the Tasmania Fire Service page and the Tasmania Fire Service incidents and warnings page (updated daily), with a map. Evacuations are in place. Please take a few minutes to watch both of the videos that I embedded above. 

2025 Australia Wildfire Season: Bushfire Emergency in Tasmania

 It is winter in my part of the world in the northern hemisphere which means that it is summer in the southern hemisphere. Like other parts of the world, summer in Australia means increased bushfires. I try to keep my eyes open for bushfire activity in Australia. I follow the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSWRFS) on Facebook where I recently saw that they had sent their tanker, the Marie Bashir to Tazmania to assist with their bushfire season.

With the deployment of aviation assets and logistical support to Tasmania, as well as aerial intelligence aircraft to South Australia over recent days, RFS personnel and equipment are currently deployed to four different state or across the entire east coast of Australia. pic.twitter.com/7QtneG4tG0

— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) February 10, 2025

 

 In addition to sending the Marie Bashir airtanker to Tasmania, they NSWRFS also sent supplies and equipment to Tasmania

A convoy of six large #RFS trucks is traveling through Victoria, carrying supplies & support staff for a 150-person base camp to assist firefighting efforts in Tasmania. Heading to Geelong, they will board the Spirit of Tasmania ferry. Give them a wave if you see them! pic.twitter.com/TGq9VysYMR

— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) February 11, 2025

As you can see from the two videos that I have embedded below, Tasmania declared a bushfire emergency on or about February 12, thanks to my friends at the B10 NJ Wildfire Page for sharing this video today. According to the second video from ABC News Australia, sixteen bushfires have burnt 45,000 hectares of bush or approximately 112,000 acres. I wish all the crews on the ground and in the air working the bushfires in Tasmania the best and that may be safe as the fight these bushfires.

Direct link to video from Sky News Australia on YouTube

Direct link to video from ABC News Australia on YouTube

 

C-130 MAFFS working January 2025 CA Wildfires

Direct link to video from US Military Action on YouTube

When there are not enough USDA Forest Service contracted airtankers to go around, there are eight Modular Aircraft Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) that are used by eight C-130 aircraft at three National Guard Unit and one US Air Force Reserve Unit, each military unit has two C-130s that can be equipped with MAFFS:

• 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard, Port Hueneme, California 
• 152nd Airlift Wing, Nevada Air National Guard, Reno, Nevada
• 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard, Cheyenne, Wyoming 
• 302nd Airlift Wing, Air Force Reserve, Peterson Air Force base, Colorado

A MAFFS is loaded onto the C-130 for firefighting, you will see this at about the three minute mark in the video. For more information on the USDA Forest Service MAFFS go to this website.

I only just found out that allC-130's equipped with MAFFS were activated to help fight the wildfires that burned in southern California in January 2025. I had come upon the YouTube video that I shared above. I wanted a little more information to share with you and found a nice article with a video from Air & Space Forces Magazine reporting on the activation of the eight MAFFS equipped C-130s. I checked the Aerial Fire Magazine that I subscribe to and saw this January 22nd Aerial Fire article and video showing a C-130 MAFFS from the 302nd Airlift Wing working the Palisades Fire.

Looking Back on New Jersey's 2024 Wildfire Season

 I follow the NJ Forest Association, they are a good group that advocates for all forests in New Jersey, see their about us page for more information on their mission, organization and objectives. One of the things they do is to do a monthly webinar on backyard forestry with seminars on a variety of issues affecting people who live in or near forests, perhaps owning some forest lands. Last January their webinar focused on forest fire risk and prevention, and sharing about the 2024 wildfire season in New Jersey with representatives from the NJ Forest Fire Service (NJFFS). Their 90 minute January webinar is on YouTube and may be found here. They start by discussing some history of the NJFFS and their organization. For those who are interested, the information on New Jersey's 2024 wildfire season that I am referring to in this article starts at about 22 minutes into the video and continues for about 25 minutes (57 minutes), if you watch the video you will get a lot more information. I am barely skimming the surface on the New Jersey's 2024 wildfire season.

Thanks to the NJ Forest Association's January 2025 webinar on forest fires in New Jersey, I had access to more detailed information on the 2024 wildfire season then I usually do. I thank you at the NJ Forest Association for presenting the January 2025 webinar and to the NJ Forest Fire Service presenters and staff who put the information in this video together. 

Using some of the information in the NJ Forestry Associations January webinar on forest fires in New Jersey I am to provide some new and updated information to the post that I made on November 11th, Asides from adding information for one fire and adding some clarification, I am not revising the acreage burned numbers, these numbers can be considered preliminary and in a few cases the NJFFS revised acreage burned later on with better mapping and the like. Note that I only have information on major fires, fires that burned at least 100 acres. 

Before moving onto some more detailed information on New Jersey's 2024 wildfire season, I want to briefly mention the organization of the NJFFS. As you can see from the map, there are three divisions, division A in northern NJ, division B in central NJ and Division C in southern NJ. See the NJFFS Organization page for a description of the management of these divisions. 

Obtained on February 6, 2024 from https://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/fire/docs/adminboundaries.pdf

In 2024 there were 1,440 wildfires that burned 12,445 acres. If you are wondering how the 2024 wildfire season in New Jersey compares with prior NJ wildfire seasons, the NJFFS provided information on the number of NJ wildfires from 2013 to 2024. You will see that the 2024 wildfire season has the most wildfires.

• 2013: 990
• 2014: 924
• 2015: 1051
• 2016: 1053
• 2017: 636
• 2018: 629
• 2019: 737
• 2020: 1,033
• 2021: 946
• 2022: 1,175
• 2023: 1,193
• 2024: 1,440

The material presented by the NJFFS in the January webinar allowed me to break down the 2024 total acreage burned of 14,440 acres down into divisions:

• Division A: 544 wildfires burned 3,416 acres
• Division B: 410 wildfires burned 7,787 acres
• Division C: 486 wildfires burned 1,221 acres

I was interested in the information that the NJFFS provided on major fires (100 acres or more) in 2024. Please note that some of the numbers differ from what I presented in my  November 11th post on the 2024 fall wildfire season in New Jersey. This is because the exact number of acres burned can change after the fire is contained  because better mapping and other updates on the fire size were available.

• County Line Fire was started on April 24, burning 510 acres.
• Tea Time Hill Fire was started on July 4, burning 4.000 acres 
• Whip-poor-will Fire started on July 26, burned 1,167 acres
• Fishers Pit Fire started on September 9, burned 189 acres
• Industrial Parkway Fire started on October 26, burned 196 acres
• Halloween Fire started on October 31, burned 137 acres
• Craigmeur Lookout Fire started on October 31, burned 211 acres
• Shotgun Fire started on November 6, burned 350 acres
• Bethany Run Fire started on November 7, burned 360 acres
• Pheasant Run Fire started on November 7, burned 133 acres
• Cannonball 3 Fire started on November 8, burned 182 acres
• Jennings Creek Fire (NJ and NY) started on November 8, burned 2,283 acres in NJ

Thanks to this webinar, I can also provide NJFFS wildfire responses in 2024 by month:

• January: 34
• February: 89
• March: 229
• April: 228
• May: 89
• June: 208
• July: 110
• August: 86
• September: 168
• October: 507
• November: 392
• December: 84