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DOWNE TWP., NJ (WPVI) — South Jersey crews are battling a wildfire in Downe Twp, Cumberland County, amid very dry conditions.
Officials said the flames were spotted Thursday evening in the area of Railroad Avenue.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has dubbed it the “Halloween Fire.”
The fire was 20% under control on Friday morning. The fire brigade uses a backfire operation to get things under control.
No injuries were reported and no structures were threatened.
It is not yet known what caused the fire.
The fire will be maintained through the weekend and smoky conditions will likely continue until significant rain falls in South Jersey.
As drought continues throughout our area, firefighters are facing challenging conditions.
SEE ALSO: Severe drought conditions are spreading across South Jersey and the rest of the Philadelphia region
“We’ve been very busy. Our people are getting very tired. It’s been non-stop day and night,” said Chief Bill Donnelly, state fire marshal with the NJ Forest Fire Service.
Donnelly had some staggering numbers to show how busy the fall has been.
He said between September 15 and November 1, 2023, there were 27 fires in New Jersey that burned a total of seven acres.
During the same period in 2024, there have been 385 fires that burned just under 800 hectares.
“The fuels are so extremely dry that things that wouldn’t normally cause these fires are actually causing the fires,” Donnelly said.
More than half of New Jersey is in severe drought.
In addition to being a fire hazard Residents are asked to conserve water on a voluntary basisS. New Jersey American Water is among the companies closely monitoring conditions.
“Because we have more than two million people using our systems every day, if each of those people use a little less water, it will overall help the traction we have on the systems,” said Mark McDonough, president of NJ. American water.
Water company officials say we are still a long way from mandatory water restrictions. But they emphasize that things like delaying irrigating lawns and only running washing machines when they are full can go a long way toward saving water.
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