HAINESPORT, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey firefighters are working to contain a wildfire that has burned dozens of acres and crept uncomfortably close to some residential backyards in Burlington County.
The fire — which officials are calling the Big Rusty Wildfire — is burning in the area of Bancroft Lane and Cove Court in Hainesport. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service said it is about 40 acres in size.
It started around 6 p.m. Monday, and it’s been an all-hands-on-deck effort since then.
The blaze got within feet of several people’s homes, including Joe and Andrea Cahill’s house. They were out on a walk and returned home to an orange glow. They thought a nearby diner was on fire, but it was worse than they imagined.
“We all of a sudden had flames about 50 feet outside our back door,” Joe Cahill told NBC10. “Never seen anything like this. Crazy to see it in New Jersey, you know? Didn’t think that this would be something we would all of a sudden have going on on a Monday night.”
At one point, 20 structures, including several homes, were threatened, but fire crews said that is no longer the case. No buildings were evacuated. Firefighters have contained 50% of the blaze so far.
Authorities are still investigating how the fire started.