Incident #99 -10/21/2008 - Rt 206 in Hammonton for a Forest Fire
The Elwood Fire Company was called to Rt 206 in Hammonton for a forest fire at 5:03pm on Oct 21st. Tanker 16-5 responded to the scene and Engine 16-3 responded to Hammonton Station#2 for cover. Laureldale's Tanker 18-38 covered Elwood Station 160.
Forest Fire Burning In South Jersey News Clip
Call Recording
Click "read more" for Atlantic City Press article
Hammonton residents flee as blaze burns into night
From the Atlantic City Press Published: Wednesday, October 22, 2008
By ERIC SCOTT CAMPBELL Staff Writer, 609-272-7227
HAMMONTON - A forest fire fueled by strong winds ripped through hundreds of acres of Wharton State Forest, closing Route 206 on Tuesday as about 200 firefighters tried to contain the flames, officials said. The fire started about 1 to 2 miles west of the road, along the border of Shamong Township, Burlington County, and Waterford Township, Camden County, before spreading to Hammonton, said Jim Petrini, assistant warden of the state Forest Fire Service.
A Forest Fire Service spotter in the Medford tower reported the fire at about 3:30 p.m., division fire warden Greg McLaughlin said.
"At this point, we don't have even 20 percent containment," McLaughlin said at 9 p.m. He estimated that about 700 acres were burned, but no structures were harmed.
Earlier in the day, state Department of Environmental Protection spokewoman Elaine Makatura had said she expected low ground at the fire scene "could aid containment."
Once night fell, Hammonton municipal airport's beacons paled next to the orange glow that tinted the sky only a couple of miles to the east. The smoke was visible as far away as Atlantic City and Brigantine, and could be smelled as far as southern Ocean County, witnesses said. Three homes on the north side of Hammonton were evacuated as a precaution because of the smoke, McLaughlin said. A few residents were seen waiting at a checkpoint down Route 206, which was closed in both directions from Atsion Lake to Route 30 in Hammonton, according to State Police at the Red Lion station.
Detours were far-flung. Route 206 is one of the few passages through the state forest that encompasses the heart of southern New Jersey.
Drivers who were forced from their expected paths could smell the cause of the detour. The sharp scent of smoke hung over the White Horse Pike from Atco through Hammonton and beyond.
Winds of 15 to 25 mph, with gusts of as much as 35 mph, made "horrendous" conditions for fighting a forest fire, said Bob Wanton, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.
"It spreads it like wildfire - which is what it is," Wanton said.
Conditions would improve somewhat overnight, as wind gusts drop to about 25 mph, Wanton said. But after sunrise today, the gusts were expected to strengthen to about 30 mph.
The Forest Fire Service is calling this the Sauder's Ditch fire after the area where it started, McLaughlin said. The fire crossed Route 206 in a few spots, but that was in the area burned by a fire last year, and there was little fuel to keep it going east of the highway.
About 100 firefighters from the Forest Fire Service and about 100 local volunteers were on the scene, lighting backfires and dropping water from the air, McLaughlin said. Crews were expected to be on the scene all night and Route 206 would remain closed.
Gusty winds, cold and a lot of smoke complicated the firefighting effort, McLaughlin said.
The wind creates a hazard "because you can have the fire flare up at any time and it can move very fast with 25 to 30 mph winds," he said.
The Forest Fire Service planned to send up a helicopter this morning to survey the damage, McLaughlin said. It will be at least several days before the cause of the fire can be determined.
Utility companies also monitored the scene, Makatura said.
Brian Parks, of Hammonton, said police were knocking on doors asking people to leave immediately. He and several others took refuge at a police checkpoint about a mile away, wondering if they would have homes to go back to.
"I have no idea. We just got Mom out. They were running around here shutting all the propane tanks off, checking every house to make sure everybody was out. It's a mess," he said.
"The smoke was just too bad. You couldn't breathe at all. There was nothing but smoke all around you."
Parks said there were six or seven houses, as well as several businesses, that were being threatened by the fire in his neighborhood.
Next to him at the checkpoint, Alberto Baccha anxiously worked his cell phone to see if his daughter was able to escape safely.
"My daughter is in there where all the smoke is and I don't know if she's OK," he said.
About 10 minutes later, he got a call from his daughter saying she was all right.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
E-mail Eric Scott Campbell: ECampbell@pressofac.com
E-mail Elaine Rose: ERose@pressofac.com
