New Jersey asks residents to conserve water after major wildfire scorches 190 acres

Frank Kummer, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Mar 13, 2025

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A 191-acre wildfire that tore through Franklin Township, Gloucester County, starting Wednesday evening was fully contained as of Thursday, according to New Jersey firefighting officials.

Initially the fire, dubbed the Scotland Run Fire, threatened about 60 buildings, including homes and an elementary school. However, none were damaged, and no one was injured.

Crews from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service are expected to remain on scene in the township’s Franklinville section at least until rain arrives, possibly Friday.

The fire service said it had contained the blaze in the area of Pennsylvania Avenue and Proposed Avenue, near Mary F. Janvier Elementary School, as of 8 a.m. Thursday.

The fire was first spotted from the Blue Anchor Fire Tower in Winslow Township at 3:34 p.m. Wednesday. Crews responded with bulldozers and a helicopter.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

On Thursday, state fire and environmental officials urged residents to conserve water as drought conditions from last year are persisting into spring — peak wildfire season at the same time water demand grows for lawns and gardens.

The state is already well ahead of the normal amount of fires as the true wildfire season begins. So far this year, there have been 381 wildfires that have burned 1,242 acres, representing a 266% increase over the same period as last year. Three of those have been major wildfires, meaning they were 100 acres or larger.

Much of the state faces drought conditions, with all of South Jersey either in a severe or extreme drought, and the risk of wildfires remained high throughout the state Thursday, according to the Forest Fire Service.

Shawn LaTourette, the commissioner of the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, said the state is already at high risk for fires because of the dense population that lives near large tracts of protected lands, such as the Pinelands.

The state remains under an official drought warning as rainfall is still running below normal, although February was close to normal. January, however, was the third-driest on record, coupled with well-below average precipitation in fall through December.

As a result, officials said, reservoirs and waterways are still well below normal.

Because of the conditions and the abnormal number of wildfires in recent months, the risk for more wildfires has increased dramatically. It’s also decreased the number of prescribed, or preventive, burns by the Forest Fire Service. Typically, the Forest Fire Service targets 25,000 acres of forest, grasslands, and marshlands for prescribed fires that consume dried fuel, such as branches and twigs, on forest floors. But the drought has reduced that to 1,707 acres of grasslands and six acres of forest to date — a historic low.

“Our forests are very dry, and our precious drinking water sources remain stressed from lack of precipitation,” LaTourette said.

All regions of New Jersey have been under drought warning since November, and residents have been urged to voluntarily conserve water to prevent mandatory restrictions if a drought emergency has to be declared.

Among ways to conserve water: If you must water a garden, do it in the morning or evening with drip irrigation; water lawns only if necessary; set up a rain barrel and reuse the water, and run the dishwasher only with a full load.