Crews Battling Large Forest Fire In Burlington County
SHAMONG TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) -- Crews continue to battle a forest fire that broke out in the woods in Burlington County Thursday afternoon.
The fire is burning in the Wharton State Forest off of Route 206 in Shamong Township, New Jersey.
Initial estimates were about 100 acres, but by 5 p.m. officials said it was more than 700 acres. The main fire is located just north and east of the Atsion Ranger Station.
Officials say the fire is about 50 percent contained.
Around 6 p.m., officials said the fire was zero percent contained.
Chopper 3 HD was over the scene where it showed a large amount of smoke and flames burning in the woods.
PHOTOS: Over The Scene
As a result of the fire, New Jersey State Troopers notified some residents to evacuate on the east side of Route 206 between Stokes and Atsion Roads.
Around 4:40 p.m., police said the fire was contained to one side and there are no current evacuations.
Troopers from Red Lion station No longer evacuating residents for forest fire. Fire is currently contained to one side.
— NJSP - State Police (@NJSP) May 7, 2015
Around 5:15 p.m., police said around 710 acres were involved.
Firefighters are dealing with shifting winds and extremely dry conditions as they battle the massive blaze.
About 75 firefighters were used to try and get the fire contained.
Much of their night was consumed by setting controlled fires to try and take advantage of fire break lines.
Crews are battling fire with fire. They are lighting what's called back fires. The idea is to starve the main fire of its fuel source by burning some of the dry underbrush underneath in order to slow down the rate of how the main fire is spreading.
The overnight hours will be crucial in containing the fire.
"The next 10 hours of this operation will be monitoring, patrolling, mopping up hot spots," said Tom Gerber of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
One of the best weapons for firefighters was a UH-1 Huey helicopter. It was being utilized to scoop up water from Atsion Lake.
The helicopter is capable of dropping about 325 pounds of water on the fire in just one drop.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
No homes or structures have been damaged and no one has been injured at this time.
Firefighters hope to have the fire fully contained at some point Friday morning.
Stay with CBSPhilly.com for more details as they become available.
