Forest fires were burning this afternoon at locations below in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Raging NJ Brush Fire Sends Smoke Into NYC
Firefighters are working to contain a New Jersey brush fire sending smoke into New York City.
The fire broke out on the Palisades in Englewood Cliffs Thursday night. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service said the fire spans 19 acres and is 30 percent contained as of 7:36 a.m. Friday.
A red flag warning has been issued from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for most of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut due to dry and windy conditions. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has designated the current fire risk as extreme for the entire state.
Multiple fires burning in New Jersey
There are multiple large wildfires are burning in New Jersey right now.
The first started in Jackson Township, Ocean County on Wednesday. As of Friday, the fire has spread to 350 acres and is 80% contained.
Two other fires started on Thursday. The Pheasant Run Wildfire, in Glassboro Wildlife Management Area, covers 133 acres. It’s 50% contained and isn’t threatening any structures.
There is also another in Evesham Township. That fire forced evacuations and was threatening about 100 homes, but luckily for residents, evacuation orders were lifted Thursday night.
Crews say they are making progress in containing the wildfire that has threatened dozens of buildings at the border of Burlington and Camden counties the Garden State.
“We’re going to keep patrolling this fire, making sure things are good keep up that containment percentage,” said Trevor Raynor, NJFFS Assistant Division Forest Fire Warden.
The fire is located in Evesham and Voorhees townships.
The blaze, dubbed the Bethany Run Wildfire, pans 360 acres and is 75% contained, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said.
Officials say a total of 104 structures are threatened but all evacuation orders have been lifted.
Pennsylvania’s Blue Mountain wildfire completely contained; near 600 acres burned
Hundreds of firefighters working around the clock for seven days have finally fully contained a raging wildfire on the Blue Mountain at Lehigh Gap.
Bob Kurilla, a spokesman for the bureau that’s part of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, told lehighvalleylive.com Friday morning flames are now completely under control. The team plans to transition the wildfire back to the local William Penn Forest District at 4 p.m. Friday.
Crews will continue to patrol the area throughout the weekend, Kurilla said.
“There will still be smoldering in places until we get soaking rain, but nothing that will escape our control lines,” he said.
Nearly 600 acres have been scorched since flames ignited at 3:38 p.m. Saturday. It began east of the gap and eroded into the Blue Mountain’s Kittatinny Ridge, near the Lehigh River in Lehigh Township.
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