June 03, 2023
Provided Image/New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
This photo captures a 120-acre wildfire in Medford, Burlington County. The fire is threatening 40 homes near Elderberry Drive and Jackson Road.
Firefighters are working to contain a wildfire burning in Medford, Burlington County. The 180-acre Flatiron Wildfire is threatening four homes, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said.
The fire is 60% under control, officials said in a thread of Tweets on Saturday afternoon.
Currently, Medford-Jackson Road is closed.
WILDFIRE UPDATE: Flatiron Wildfire – Medford, Burlington County
— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) June 3, 2023
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service is making significant progress in containing a wildfire burning within the wildland-urban interface in Medford, Burlington County, in the area of Elderberry Dr. & Jackson Rd. pic.twitter.com/SE3Dib5dwT
Earlier Saturday morning, authorities said that the fire was threatening 40 homes, but firefighters worked to move the fire away from the residences.
During a media briefing on Saturday morning, Chief Greg McLaughlin of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said that the flames started after midnight in a densely wooded area of the Pinelands.
"Today, last night, this morning, we were really lucky. This is a highly developed area, and there's a lot of interface here, there's a lot of people that live here, there's high potential for property damage, structure damage," McLaughlin said. This picture shows a firefighter assessing the Flatiron Wildfire – Medford, Burlington County on Saturday morning.
Provided Image/New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Also, in New Jersey, a 5,000-acre wildfire in the New Jersey Pinelands has been burning since Wednesday. On Friday morning, smoke from the Bass River State Forrest fire was so bad it closed a 25-mile stretch of the Garden State Parkway for four hours.
As of Saturday morning, officials said the Tuckerton, Ocean County fire was 80% contained.
