Firefighters are working to control a fire that broke out at a recycling facility in Camden County on Sunday. Flames engulfed the 15-acre mulch yard, and high winds expanded the blaze to a field outside the facility. That led to the voluntary evacuation of 50 homes in the area along with shelter-in-place orders due to all the smoke. Officials say the cause of the fire is still under investigation and crews will remain on the scene for another 48 hours.
It’s one of two major fires to erupt in South Jersey in a week, with dry, windy weather conditions contributing to both.
The State Forest Fire Service now has the Jones Road Wildfire in Ocean County 75% contained. The fire spread through roughly 15,300 acres, and officials say it could end up being the largest wildfire in 20 years in New Jersey.
“It’s been a nasty recipe, something we commonly see at this time of the year when you still don’t have that humidity that you see during the summer,” New Jersey State Climatologist Dave Robinson said in an interview with NJ Spotlight News.
“So, the air can be dry. We’re still in a windy time of the year; and this year in particular, we’ve had a considerable amount of windy days. And then you just have to go for a week or two without any precipitation so to speak of, and you’re in a very vulnerable position.”
