4,200-Acre Wildfire in Burlington County, NJ, Forces Evacuation
A wildfire that broke out in Burlington County had slowed its progress by Saturday as first responders continue to counter its initial rapid spread, authorities said.
The blaze, dubbed the Mines Spung Wildfire, had burned through 4,200 acres at Wharton State Forest and was 40% contained as of 8:30 a.m. Saturday, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said in an update.
No injuries were immediately reported, but five structures remained under threat Saturday. The cause was still under investigation.
The fire was first spotted Friday morning near the Carranza Memorial in the state forest. It had grown to 3,250 acres by 11 p.m. that night.
The Memorial honors Emilio Carranza Rodríguez, a Mexican aviator whose plane crashed in the forest in 1928, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
Both a juvenile justice public school and a campground were evacuated shortly after the report was made.
The school, Phillip M. Costello Preparatory Academy in Tabernacle, serves men between the ages of 15 and 20 with a history of substance abuse. The facility houses about 30 residents, according to the New Jersey State Office of the Attorney General.
The Lower Forge Campground was also evacuated. Road closures were also in effect, with the service saying Saturday that local forest roads had been shuttered, as well as parts of Tuckerton Road and Carranza Road. Bulldozer Road and Hampton Road were also closed to the public.
The Batona Trail remained closed between Carranza Road and Quaker Bridge Road.
The fire is one of the largest in the state since the Jones Road Wildfire scorched 15,300 acres in Ocean and Lacy Townships in April.
That blaze was active for nearly three weeks before it was fully contained.
AJ McDougall may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X at @oldmcdougall.
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