New Jersey teen calls 911 from smart watch to report wildfire after noticing smoke along Medford Township trail
Fire crews quickly got a handle on a wildfire that broke out in Burlington County just before 6 p.m. Friday evening.
Chopper 3 captured flames from the 30-acre wildfire burning along the trail between Tamarac and Lake Pine in Medford Township. The fire backed up to multiple homes along Woodthrush Trail and Heath Road.
At around 8 a.m. Saturday, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said the multi-acre blaze had been fully contained. The NJFFS added that its staffers would continue to monitor the area until significant precipitation fell, ensuring there was no threat to the public.
Smoke will likely linger where the fire broke out until rainfall coats the area.
On the ground Friday night, you could see hotspots popping up throughout the wooded area.
"There is quite a bit of green acres back there," said Pete Scaffidi.
The NJFFS aided firefighters on the scene, working together to control the fire and keep it away from the nearby homes.
Fifteen-year-old Armando Dennis is in the Civil Air Patrol and lives nearby. He said he noticed smoke and knew something wasn't right along the trail.
"I went down the trail and I found it. To the right of me was the fire and after a little bit of walking, there was a big fire in my face," Dennis said.
The 15-year-old said he called 911 from his watch and then alerted a neighbor nearby. Dennis said he also called his grandmother.
"I did not expect it to be as big as it was and all the trucks kept coming. So very proud of him," said Jacqueline Dennis. "The whole woods could go up and all I kept thinking about is, thank God that he went there and he kept calm and he knew what to do."
In the meantime, firefighters said no evacuations were needed among the 30 homes that were initially threatened.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the NJFFS.