Fire in Wharton

[BEHR655]

Just saw a report that there 100 acres on fire in Wharton. They say near Hammonton but the fire command center is at Rt206 & Quaker Bridge. I have to do some work at a friends house in Atco tomorrow and will head out after to check it out.

Steve

 

[BEHR655]

Update. Looks like it is somewhere down QB road

 

[Teegate]

http://www.kyw1060.com/pages/759038.php?contentType=4&contentId=754436

 

[Teegate]

From the report it is near Dave Amato's place or that area. I will be in that area tonight and will check it out.

Guy

 

[LongIslandPiney]

Was just mentioned on channel 4, they showed video and it looked pretty bad as it was crowning.
This prolonged hot weather dries out the forest considerably, lets hope for rain, there are some thunderstorms around but they are widely scattered as the cold front that is approaching is washing out.

 

[Boyd]

They kept mentioning this fire on the traffic report and I wondered where it was. I think the blip on this radar image is probably smoke from the fire.

 

[this_is_nascar]

As of 6pm, at 7pm they were going to shutdown RT-206 from White Horse Pike (RT-30) all the way to RT-532. That's a 14-mile stretch of RT-206. So far 1000-acres are involved.

 

[Boyd]

Wow. I need to go to Medford tomorrow morning, guess I might want to take an alternate route.

 

[Boyd]

Here's another article: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/08/brush_fire_burning_in_wharton.html

 

[Teegate]

I was in the Carranza area, so I headed down Tuckerton Road to Push Line Road and on to Quaker Bridge. At the bridge was a ranger blocking it so I could not cross. He told us they were in the process of blocking 206. Next we headed to Batsto and noticed the tower was open so we headed on up almost to the top. Two people or more were in there and we did not want to intrude. From there we could see the smoke and also listen to the fire calls on their radio. One of the places they were fighting it was at Dutchtown right there on 206.

From there we headed through Nesco and on to 206 where cones were across the road just south of Chew road. Cars were going around them and driving toward the police. Not something I was going to do so I headed south on 206 towards Hammonton. At evey intersection cones were across the road and I had to drive around them. At the Pike they had police with cones blocking access from there. Up the pike to home the wife and I went.

From Batsto

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/teegate/IMG_9596.jpg

Guy

 

[bobpbx]

I find it odd. The woods do not appear to be dry over here. In fact, they are so lush that some of my haunts don't even look the same.

It's high summer boys! My kind of season. Its so warm out I was slapping pine files off my head at 8:30 PM.

 

[Boyd]

I think it varies quite a lot Bob. I 've been driving to North Philadelphia daily and have seen a full range of conditions from clear sky to torrential rain during the past few storms. I've also been checking radar and have repeatedly seen huge storms approaching from the West that breakup into little scattered cells as they head SE.

It's dry as a bone around my house, looks like a real tenderbox. During the past few storms we've gotten less than two hours worth of rain in total down here. I hope we get a more widespread soaking rain soon, but I don't think it's in the forecast.

 

[Boyd]

Looks like the fire might be growing, or maybe the radar is just showing a larger smoky area because the wind has died down?

 

[BEHR655]

It's dry as a bone around my house,

Me too.

 

[LARGO]

I came off Chew road to go North 206 at exactly 6:05 this eve'.
Meeting James U. @ the pic. Coming up 206 I drove right into it.As soon as you hit the bend on the lake, the smoke and backfire was right there. I couldn't get my windows up quick enough & got drenched in smoke. Foul!
I was actually one of the last cars let go Northbound. At the road just on this side of the tracks you could only make out the noses of the fire trucks & their headlights. I feared for the schoolhouse & church. There were many emergency vehicles at the ranger station. A state police officer followed me right into Pic's parking lot & I figured I had done something wrong as he walked up to me. He informed me that he was closing the place but after discussion with management they left it as an open issue should things get hairy. Right up till Jim & I left the flares were stopping 206 right at the pic. I had to take Stokes to Oakshade to Jackson & back through Atco home.
All in all in the midst of everything the Pic remains open. Too funny.
I thought that every time the door opened it gave a whole new meaning to their "smokers" wings. Well, my car reeks but I had a really good evening.

G.

 

[BEHR655]

2300 acres as of 11:00

 

[james ungehajer]

I came off Chew road to go North 206 at exactly 6:05 this eve'.
Meeting James U. @ the pic. Coming up 206 I drove right into it.As soon as you hit the bend on the lake, the smoke and backfire was right there. I couldn't get my windows up quick enough & got drenched in smoke. Foul!
I was actually one of the last cars let go Northbound. At the road just on this side of the tracks you could only make out the noses of the fire trucks & their headlights. I feared for the schoolhouse & church. There were many emergency vehicles at the ranger station. A state police officer followed me right into Pic's parking lot & I figured I had done something wrong as he walked up to me. He informed me that he was closing the place but after discussion with management they left it as an open issue should things get hairy. Right up till Jim & I left the flares were stopping 206 right at the pic. I had to take Stokes to Oakshade to Jackson & back through Atco home.
All in all in the midst of everything the Pic remains open. Too funny.
I thought that every time the door opened it gave a whole new meaning to their "smokers" wings. Well, my car reeks but I had a really good evening.

G.

Great evening George, great pine barrens talk, we rode through the smoke, we were eyewitness news up close and personal.

 

[watchingtrainsgoby]

This site has some pretty good coverage and pictures http://www.nbc10.com/news/13816765/detail.html?dl=mainclick#

 

[LARGO]

Great evening George, great pine barrens talk, we rode through the smoke, we were eyewitness news up close and personal.

Indeed, some of the strangeness surrounding the evening was funny but the conversation was great.

G.

 

[LongIslandPiney]

Many of the storms that hit Long Island the past couple of weeks never made it to southern NJ and break up. Fortunately because of the heavy rains we've had recently, our pines aren't that dried out, but in this heat it doesn't take long for things to dry out. I'm already concerned because there hasn't been much rain out there in a week, and the storms tonight will weaken by the time they get to eastern Suffolk.
And I know it gets much hotter in the NJ Pines than here because there's no cooling and moistening ocean influence. Definately not a good situation. Pray for rain.