Wildfire burns in South Jersey, as wind gusts carry smoke for miles
Mercer County wildfire 90 percent contained Sunday night
Things were calmer in Mercer County Sunday night, but at the height of a raging wildfire over the weekend, 26 homes, four industrial buildings were threatened and the winds made thing much harder for the firefighters.
PENNSVILLE, N.J. - A wildfire began burning in Fort Mott State Park Saturday afternoon, sending fire crews into thick, black smoke in order to wrestle the situation under control.
The National Weather Service issued a special weather advisory earlier Saturday, alerting residents of low humidity and high wind gusts, which often leads to increased fire danger.
What we know:
A wildfire broke out at Fort Mott State Park around 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
The National Weather Service posted about it on social media saying it was visible on local radar.
Huge plumes of thick, black smoke could be seen for miles and was picked up on Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) cameras.
By Sunday afternoon, the majority of the fire had been contained.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service says the fire is 90 percent contained with nearly 293 acres burned.
Poor Farm Road is also closed to traffic at this time.
No one was ever evacuated but instead told to shelter in place as crews fought to keep the wildfire from spreading.
What they're saying:
Gratitude and appreciation were felt among neighbors who saw so many firefighters working around the clock to keep the flames from their homes.
"They did a really good job because last night we went to bed next thing you know it’s 3 o’clock in the morning it’s on the side of the road over here and the next you know in e morning we got up and they had most of it down already so they did a really good job," said Chip Shaw, Hopewell.
"The winds were really bad upon first arrival to this area. This fire was probably almost 35 to 40 acres when I got here it grew to that size in about a half hour the Winds are super swirly at that time," said Peter Mount, NJ Forest Fire Service.
"The winds impeded our ability to attack the fire because again it was going about 35 to 40 mph or so. It was very difficult to keep up with it also grounded our ability to send aircraft, so again that was normally something we have in her back pocket we did we’re not able to access yesterday," said Christopher Franek, NJ Forest Fire Service.
The backstory:
Saturday morning, the National Weather Service warned of an increased fire risk throughout the region, while also posting a Red Flag Warning for all of Delaware, due to strong winds expected for the day.
Winds were blowing about 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph Saturday afternoon, while humidity was low.
As the strong winds continued to blow from the northwest, the smoke was blown across Salem and Cumberland County.
Dig deeper:
The strong wind gusts likely a contributing factor to some of the power outages PECO experienced in the afternoon. Around the same time that the fire started, close to 1,000 people were without power in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, all of New Jersey is listed in various stages of drought conditions, and with all of South Jersey experiencing severe or extreme drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Consequences:
Ultimate Doppler Radar picked up the smoke. It looked like a big storm on the radar, which just goes to show how widespread the smoke was and that the fire was producing so much of it.
Two brush trucks will patrol the area through the night looking for any hot spots or flare-ups in the neighborhood.
Then first thing Monday morning, more firefighters will come in to make sure the rest of the fire is fully contained.
What's next:
The N.J. Forest Fire Service was on the scene. They alerted the public to the situation saying 25 acres were burning with no containment and 12 structures were threatened.
Later Saturday evening, the fire service reported the fire was burning 50 and they had it 85 percent contained. They also reported no structures were threatened.
They did say no roads were affected.