Forest fire breaks out in Burlington County

Smoke could clearly be seen from Hammonton and the state Department of Transportation shut down Route 206 in both directions from Route 30 in Hammonton to Stokes Road in Shamong Township.

State police from Red Lion station evacuated residents around 2:30 p.m. on the east side of Route 206 due to the fire. But at 3:43 p.m. police said the fire had been contained to one side of Route 206 and that police were not evacuating any more residents.

State police said on Twitter at 5:16 p.m. that 710 acres of forest were involved in the fire. Police said then that Route 206 could re-open around 6 p.m. if conditions improved. However, it was still closed as of 6:40 p.m.