Tea Time Hill Wildfire Grows To 4K Acres; Roads, Trails Remain Closed

TABERNACLE, NJ — A wildfire in Wharton State Forest in Burlington County grew to 4,000 acres a day after it was first reported near Batona Campground in Tabernacle Township, according to fire officials. As of Saturday, several road and trail closures remained in place.

The blaze, dubbed the Tea Time Hill Wildfire, was first reported late Friday morning. By Friday afternoon, it grew to 450 acres before significantly expanding overnight, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.

In a Saturday morning update, fire officials said substantial progress had been made in containing the blaze. As of 9 a.m., the fire was 60 percent contained.

Officials also said no structures are currently at risk from the fire.

"Today, Forest Fire Service crews will continue to monitor improve and improve containment lines," officials said in the update.

On Friday, authorities evacuated the Batona Campground. The Batona Trail between Route 532 and Carranza Road remains closed, and authorities also closed the Tulpehocken Trail from Apple Pie Hill to Hawkins Bridge.

Local Wharton State Forest roadways also remain closed. Carranza Road from the Carranza Memorial to Speedwell Road at Friendship Field is also closed.

Forest Fire Service officials advised the public to avoid the area. The agency has ground crews, an observation helicopter and a helicopter capable of dropping 300 gallons of water at the scene, officials said.

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.