Large Wildfire In Wharton State Forest Contained, But Officials Warn Of Flare-Ups, Smokey Conditions
SHAMONG TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) -- A large wildfire in the Wharton State Forest has been contained for now, but officials say people who live in the area are not in the clear just yet. They are keeping a close eye on the Atsion Lake Recreational Area in Burlington County.
Travel in the area was back to normal Monday and smoke was low, but officials warn that as things dry out, the fire could consume a lot more of the woods and residents could see more smokey conditions.
Small flames and smoldering trees lined the western edge of Route 206 in Shamong Township Monday -- remnants of the back fire used to contain an 1,800-acre wildfire in a remote part of Wharton State Forest.
Officials say it may have burned unnoticed for days, but Sunday's strong wind and low humidity caused it to flare up out of control around 3:30 p.m.
"Well, it was underway when our crews arrived basically in an isolated area that had limited access," Bill Donnelly, fire warden of the N.J. Forest Fire Service Division, said.
Bathers at the Atsion Lake Recreational Area were told to evacuate as the New Jersey Forest Fire Service formed a plan to contain the fire.
"Fortunately back in 2008, we had a fire in the same area there so we had some control lines in place that we were able to improve," Donnelly said. "Once we started to improve them, we started doing our backfiring and put a box around it."
Route 206, a busy highway that runs north to south through the Pinelands, was shut down around 6 p.m. Sunday. Overnight rain helped fire officials contain the fire. People like Joe Koenig, who has a trucking business on Route 206, were happy to see the highway reopen Monday morning, even though it was smokey.
"I seen that it's starting to flare up again and it was kind of smoky around here. It was coming across the road. It was like a fog coming across this morning," Koenig, owner of WW Trucking, said.
But the smoke is likely to return this week as the little bit of rain water evaporates and drains through the sandy Pine Barren soil.
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"As the weather changes and things start to dry up, you're going to have more and more stuff on fire," Donnelly said.
Officials say people that work, live and travel along Route 206 should continue to monitor the situation and the smokey conditions. Officials say lightning may have been the cause of the blaze.