Wildfire Quadruples In Size Around Campground In Burlington County

TABERNACLE, NJ — A wildfire has grown to 450 acres by a campsite in Wharton State Forest as of mid-afternoon Friday, officials said.

The blaze, dubbed the Tea Time Hill Wildfire, was reported late Friday morning in the area of the Batona Campground and Apple Pie Hill in Tabernacle Township. It has significantly expanded since the early afternoon, when it encompassed 100 acres, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.

A residential structure and a hunting club facility remain at risk. Zero percent of the fire has been contained as of 3 p.m. Friday, officials said.

At least one fire department in the surrounding area reported that the smell of smoke could potentially carry.

"Residents in Voorhees may smell smoke from the wildfire," the Voorhees Fire Department said on Friday afternoon. "As always, if you see a fire please call 911."

The campground was evacuated, and the Batona Trail remains closed between Route 532 and Carranza Road. The Tulpehocken is also closed from Apple Pie Hill to Hawkins Bridge.

Local Wharton State Forest roadways have been shut down. Later Friday, Carranza Road will close from the Carranza Memorial to Speedwell Road at Friendship Field.

Forest Fire Service officials advised the public to avoid the area. The agency has ground crews and an observation helicopter at the scene.

Ninety-nine percent of New Jersey's wildfires are human-caused, according to the Forest Fire Service. Climate change has and will continue to increase the size and frequency of wildfires, along with the length of wildfire season, according to multiple studies cited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Batona Campground is a stop of the 50-mile Batona Trail, which runs through New Jersey's Pinelands National Reserve. Apple Pie Hill — a popular hiking destination with a viewing tower at a high vantage point — is about 2 miles up the trail.

Wharton, New Jersey's largest state forest, encompasses more than 110,000 acres of the Pinelands divided between Burlington, Camden and Atlantic counties.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.