Fire Rescue News - Bass River Township forest fire about 80 percent contained, but hot spots could linger in region for days
BASS RIVER TOWNSHIP — The wildfire that forced the evacuation of Bass River State Park on Monday is about 80 percent contained Wednesday, fire officials said.
Assistant Division Fire Warden Steve Holmes said the wildfire, which was first reported Monday afternoon, scorched 677 acres in 24 hours.
“We have 40-plus people on it, including 13 engines, three tractor plows, and two aircraft — one for observation, the other for.....Continue Reading
dropping water,” Holmes said.
Division Fire Warden Bert Plante said he hopes fire officials can contain the fire today. However, Plante said firefighters should expect to extinguish further fires in the coming days.
"The fire didn't burn as hot as some forest fires, and it left leaves and needles on the trees," Plante said. "As those leaves and needles fall to the forest floor, we should expect to see ground fires popping up pretty regularly."
The weather forecast for Thursday could play into firefighters' favor - calling for rain.
The fire started, and has largely burned, in a swamp a couple miles north of Dan Bridge Road.
“Crews went in this morning and were able to determine that the origin was a lighting strike from the July 25th storm,” Holmes said.
A second fire that was reported by the state Forest Fire Service later in the day Monday was actually the smoke from a back fire that was used to contain an earlier wildfire that was also caused by a lightening strike, Holmes said.
Smoke from the blaze was still visible from as far away as Atlantic County on Tuesday afternoon, but the 28,000-acre Bass River State Park reopened around lunchtime Tuesday, as Holmes had expected.
Contact Robert Spahr: 609-272-7283 RSpahr@pressofac.com
