A wildfire is still raging four days after officials say fireworks were set off in Wharton State Forest on the Fourth of July.
Crews are battling the blaze in Tabernacle Township near the Batona Campground and Apple Pie Hill as it grows to 4,000 acres with 65 percent containment.On Sunday, officials announced that fireworks were identified as the cause of the wildfire, which has been named Tea Time Hill Wildfire."A fireworks device lighted inside the forest ignited the fire late Thursday, July 4," the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said.The fire was discovered around 9 a.m.
The campground was evacuated as the Batona Trail was closed between Route 532 and Carranza Road, and the Tulpehocken Trail was shut from Apple Pie Hill to Hawkins Bridge. Local Wharton State Forest roads are also closed, along with Carranza Road from the Carranza Memorial to Speedwell Road at Friendship Field.Officials say the fire is in a remote area with tough terrain that hasn’t burned since 1954.
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