N.J. wildfire engulfs over 100 acres, sparks evacuation of multiple homes

A multi-acre wildfire burning in Morris County has charred more than 100 acres and has forced the evacuation of multiple homes in the area, investigators said.
The blaze, dubbed the the Craigmeur Lookout Wildfire by the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, was burning in the area of Notch Road near the Craigmeur Recreation Complex in Rockaway Township and had grown to 140 acres Friday night.
As of 8 p.m., the blaze was 30% contained, it threatened to damage 13 structures in the area and caused the voluntary evacuation of eight homes, fire officials said.
Firefighters and two helicopters that can drop as much as 350 gallons of water each were on the scene, authorities said.
With dry conditions and gusty winds on Friday, red flag fire warnings were in effect in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties through 7 p.m.
There is also a 110-acre wildfire burning in Downe Township in Cumberland County, and another wildfire in Pennsauken in Camden County has forced the suspension of NJ Transit’s Atlantic City train line.
The dry and windy conditions also helped fuel a smaller wildfire caused by a a truck fire on the New Jersey Turnpike in Carteret, officials said.
The truck crashed in the northbound truck lanes of the Turnpike between Exit 12 and Exit 13 and it then ignited a brush fire along the Rahway River between Carteret and Linden “due to the extremely dry conditions we’ve been experiencing,” Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman said.
“This fire poses no threat to people, homes, or businesses,” the mayor wrote on his Facebook page. “NJ Forestry Crews are actively managing the situation with a controlled burn and will remain on-site with our emergency service teams until the fire is fully contained.”
The latest national drought status report, released Thursday morning, shows 54% of New Jersey is now experiencing a severe drought and the rest of the state has moderate drought conditions.
The counties with the worst drought conditions are Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean and Salem, as well as portions of Hunterdon, Mercer and Monmouth.
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Chris Sheldon may be reached at [email protected].