White smoke could be seen rising into the dry air as a wildfire burned Thursday in Burlington and Camden counties in New Jersey.

The New Jersey Wild Fire Department first reported the fire – later dubbed the Bethany Run Wildfire – in the area of ​​Kettle Run Road and Sycamore Avenue in Marlton around 10 a.m. on November 7, 2024.

Léelo in Spanish here.

“New Jersey Wildland Fire Services remain on scene of a wildfire on the border of Burlington and Camden counties in Evesham and Voorhees townships,” the fire service said forest in an update early Thursday afternoon.

The 300-acre fire was 50% contained as of 7:45 p.m. Thursday and threatens at least 104 structures in Evesham and Voorhees townships, wildfire officials said, while warning people to avoid the area. Fire trucks were visible near the houses.

Sycamore Avenue and Kettle Run Road, from Braddock Mill Road to Hopewell Road, were closed, authorities said. Access to the Sturbridge Lakes development has been blocked.

All evacuation orders were lifted at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

Part of the firefighting efforts included fire trucks, bulldozers, ground crews and “a helicopter capable of dropping 350 gallons of water at a time,” firefighters said.

“Wildland fire service crews are constructing fire lines and working to stop the progress of the fire by strategically using a blowback operation to remove combustibles ahead of the main body of the fire” , the agency said in a social media post.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation.

Smoke fills the air above New Jersey as three large wildfires force crews to work hard to try to put them out. Wildfires burning on the border of Camden and Burlington counties have been 50% contained and still threaten dozens of homes. NBC10’s Brian Sheehan has the latest on the wildfires.

Dry conditions fuel New Jersey wildfires

Dry conditions have helped spark numerous wildfires in New Jersey in recent weeks. The lack of significant precipitation since August has contributed to dry conditions, prompting the state to impose strict restrictions on outdoor fires.

“Tomorrow we are expecting some really bad fires. A red flag has been raised for the entire state of New Jersey,” said Bill Donnelly, state wildfire manager and chief of the Wildland Fire Service. from New Jersey.

All current wildfires are surrounded by containment lines.

More than 8,000 acres have burned so far this year. October was the busiest month on record for wildfire services, Donnelly said.

The state hasn’t seen significant rain in more than a month, and that trend is expected to continue for at least the next few days.

“This is the driest time we’ve had in the history of the agency,” said Jeremy Webber, a supervising fire warden with the fire department, established in 1906.

This latest fire occurred while crews continue to fight a fire in Jackson Township, New Jersey.

“It seems like it hasn’t stopped,” Donnelly said.

Since January, there have been at least 1,189 fires across 7,900 acres, Webber said during a news conference Thursday morning. This month alone, at least 102 fires have broken out across the state.

Webber said wildland fire crews were busy and deployed to put out the fires.

Even the rain promised overnight Sunday into Monday shouldn’t make much of a difference, Webber said.

“We’re going to need a few inches of rain, not just one or two,” he said.

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