Fire Rescue News - FOREST FIRES CONTAINED; OFFICIALS SAY THEY'RE NOT OUT OF THE WOODS JUST YET

MAYS LANDING--Crews with state Forest Fire Service had their hands full this weekend as they battled 18 different brush and forest fires across South Jersey. Officials say at least one fire has been deemed suspicious and say the windy conditions continue to be a concern as they keep a close eye on smoldering areas.

It's an attack by air and by land, as crews with State Forest Fire Service continue their battle against a....Continue Reading

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 blaze that ripped through 75 acres in Mays Landing. "We have some remote areas in the fire that we can't really access," said Ken Badger, Section Forest Fire Warden, "we're using the helicopter to do some bucket work and drop on those areas to try and make sure we don't have any flareups and possibly cause another fire."

Bucket by bucket, the helicopter fills up at nearby Lake Lenape and dumps its contents along the charred section of woods off of Old Egg Harbor Road, where crews have been working all weekend. "We have it mostly contained, we just have hot spots," said Badger, "and some if it's burning underground on us and smoldering, so that's actually dry enough that we have to wet that down and try to get that out the best we can."

Fire officials say the wind played a major role in fueling the fires this weekend and continues to be a main concern, which is a big reason why the fire risk level remains very high. "We've got to keep an eye on everything cause the wind," said Badger, "the way it's been so strong the last few days, it could put a hot ember across our control lines at any point, so we need to be here, keeping an eye on things around the clock."

As crews try to keep the fire under control, authorities are investigating how it started, and say it may have been an act of arson. "We pretty much ruled out all natural causes," said Badger, "and at this time, it looks suspicious."

And while the fire is contained, officials say they're not out of the woods just yet. "Until we get a significant rain, we're gonna need to monitor these fires," said Badger.

So, they'll watch and wait, and hope Mother Nature helps them fight the fires rather than fuel them.

Officials ask that anyone who may have information about how the fire started to contact the Hamilton Township Police Department by calling (609) 625-2700.

This story was taken from the news source stated above. It's content and comments are not necessarily the opinion of The Elwood Vol. Fire Company or it's members.