It was the second wildfire in South Jersey in as many days.
By Harold Brubaker and Diane Mastrull, Philadelphia Inquirer
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported Saturday afternoon that a brush fire in Medford, Burlington County that had grown to 180 acres and threatened homes was 100% contained but that smoke conditions in the area were expected to linger into the overnight hours.
The so-called Flatiron Wildfire, near the intersection of Elderberry Drive and Jackson Road, was reported as encompassing 120 acres around 8 a.m. but just after noon, the Forest Fire Service announced that the affected area had increased to 180 acres.
With the winds blowing from the east, the Fire Service said the worst smoke conditions would affect areas just to the west of the fire site, and they could affect visibility. Jackson Road remained closed to through traffic.
The Fire Service said staff would remain at the scene.
The fire, the second in South Jersey in as many days, had threatened four homes, officials said.
While fighting a larger forest fire Friday in Bass River State Forest, officials closed the Garden State Parkway for several hours, but that fire did not threaten houses. The Forest Fire Service’s latest update said that 5,000-acre fire was contained.
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