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 multi-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.
On the ground, you could see hotspots popping up throughout the wooded area Friday night.
"There is quite a bit of green acres back there," said Pete Scaffidi.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service was also aiding firefighters on the scene. The crews worked together to contain the fire and keep it controlled and 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 threatened. Fire crews said they will be monitoring the area throughout the night and are still looking into what caused it.
