Evacuations, road closures in Evesham Township, New Jersey after wildfire breaks out Thursday
Roads are closed around the Black Run Preserve in New Jersey's Evesham Township as a brush fire burns Thursday morning.
The fire, which has been named the Bethany Run wildfire, is about 75 acres in size and was 0% contained as of 12 p.m. Thursday. The fire is also impacting Voorhees Township in Camden County.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service says 97 structures are threatened by the blaze and 10 have been evacuated. Fire engines, bulldozers and ground crews are on the scene, along with a helicopter that can drop up to 350 gallons of water.
Images from Chopper 3 showed smoke rising from the preserve – a wooded area that features several walking trails. Flames were visible on the ground.
Evesham Township Police said the investigation is in the area of Kettle Run Road and Sycamore Avenue.
Kettle Run Road is closed between Braddock Mill Road and Sycamore Avenue.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. It happened on another day of "extreme" fire danger in the state, as the region weathers drought conditions following a record-breaking stretch without rain.
Normally during the fall, leaves fall off the trees and onto somewhat moist or damp ground, NJFFS officials said in a news conference Thursday. But with the lack of precipitation since August, the dead leaves and needles are very susceptible to any source of ignition.
Officials urged caution with anything that might spark a fire, whether it's a cigarette butt, malfunctioning yard equipment that could produce sparks (like a lawnmower), or a faulty catalytic converter. Dumping ash from a campfire could also spark a blaze.
NJFFS was already responding to an active wildfire in Jackson Township, New Jersey that has been named the Shotgun Wildfire.