Wildfire in West Milford knocks out power to residents, temporarily shuts down traffic on Route 23
NEW YORK -- Firefighters continue to battle a wildfire that knocked out power to hundreds in Passaic County.
Smoke can still be seen billowing across the area Thursday morning.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service said around 7:15 p.m. Wednesday the fire in West Milford had reached 140 acres in size and was 0% contained.
Northbound Route 23 was temporarily closed between Germantown Road and Union Valley Road, and Echo Lake Road was closed between Route 23 and Macopin Road.
Creeping out of the woods and onto the roadway, the wildfire off Route 23 near the Charlotteburg Reservoir was a scary sight.
"There's many houses back here. Like, a lot of people kind of like are tucked away in the woods, so I worry for their houses with how thick all the woods are around," Butler resident Zackary Turner said.
Ten structures are currently threatened. Local volunteer fire departments are providing protection. People have been stopping by Echo Lake Road to see if they can catch a glimpse of the blaze.
"Opening my window in my house, I was able to actually smell it from, like, over a mile and half away," Turner said.
Watch: Chopper 2 over West Milford on Wednesday night
As crews work to get a handle on the flames in West Milford, a brush fire in Manchester Township continues to burn.
It started on military property Tuesday; it's now over 3,800 acres in size and 75% contained. Two-hundred foot flames and embers rained down and led to hundreds of evacuations.
"It was scary. It was really crazy, too, just because of the fact that I have so much family here," evacuated resident Daym Gomez said.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service chief says fires are starting earlier than normal this year and there are more of them.
READ MORE: Firefighters make serious progress against wildfire in Manchester Township
"We're under an enhanced fire weather watch today, likely again tomorrow ... We've put a limit on open burning for agriculture purposes as well as recreational camp fires," Chief Gregory McLaughlin said.
Evacuated residents in Manchester Township have all been allowed back to their homes.
The West Milford fire, at one point, knocked out power for over 1,000 JCP&L customers.
The causes of both fires are still under investigation.
