Forest Fire Still Raging In Burlington County

United States (Pennsylvania) - A firefighting task force is on the scene of a raging forest fire in Burlington County's Pinelands near a housing development. Firefighters are struggling to bring it under control amid strong winds. The forest fire in Pemberton was burning on the perimeter of the Country Lakes housing development near Route 70 and Lakehurst Road in Pemberton, an emergency dispatcher said. The first 911 calls came in around 12:51 p.m., and a team of fire companies and New Jersey forestry forces were immediately summoned, she said.

A three-mile stretch of Route 70 was closed beneath the border that separates Burlington and Ocean Counties. Though no evacuations had been ordered, fierce winds raised questions about the extent to which the fire would spread before being brought under control. The forest is dotted with homes throughout the area.Nearby resident Susan Scull, who lives on a dirt road off of Route 70, about a mile away from the fire on Mt. Misery Road, said her nephew could see signs of the encroaching blaze from their home, which like many houses in the area, is tucked into the thick woods.

"He says he can smell smoke and he can see smoke coming through the woods," said Scull, who was on her way home around 3:30 p.m. after her a work shift, when she was interviewed at Buy-Rite Country Lakes Liquors nearby on Lakehurst Road in Browns Mills.

"It's so windy here, you know, we're supposed to get 60-mile an hour winds," Scull said, anxious to get home and gauge the situation with her own eyes. "I don't know how fast it's going to travel."

The firefighting effort was being spearheaded by Pemberton Fire Department and New Jersey Forest Fire Service. There was no early word on the number of acres involved.

Written by The Philadelphia Inquirer