Burlington County wildfire threatening multiple homes

Medford-Jackson Road is currently closed. The fire is 60% contained, officials say.

This photo captures a 120-acre wildfire in Medford, Burlington County. The fire is threatening 40 homes near Elderberry Drive and Jackson Road.
Provided Image/New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

Firefighters are working to contain a wildfire burning in Medford, Burlington County. The 180-acre Flatiron Wildfire is threatening four homes, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said.

The fire is 60% under control, officials said in a thread of Tweets on Saturday afternoon.


MORE: What are the health risks of wildfire smoke? Here's how to limit your exposure

Currently, Medford-Jackson Road is closed.


Earlier Saturday morning, authorities said that the fire was threatening 40 homes, but firefighters worked to move the fire away from the residences.

During a media briefing on Saturday morning, Chief Greg McLaughlin of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said that the flames started after midnight in a densely wooded area of the Pinelands.

"Today, last night, this morning, we were really lucky. This is a highly developed area, and there's a lot of interface here, there's a lot of people that live here, there's high potential for property damage, structure damage," McLaughlin said.

Provided Image/New Jersey Department of Environmental ProtectionThis picture shows a firefighter assessing the Flatiron Wildfire – Medford, Burlington County on Saturday morning.

Also, in New Jersey, a 5,000-acre wildfire in the New Jersey Pinelands has been burning since Wednesday. On Friday morning, smoke from the Bass River State Forrest fire was so bad it closed a 25-mile stretch of the Garden State Parkway for four hours. 

As of Saturday morning, officials said the Tuckerton, Ocean County fire was 80% contained. 


This article has been updated with recent developments