PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Just off of Route 206 in Shamong, New Jersey, Pinelands Adventures leads people on trips through the Wharton State Forest via kayaking, canoeing or hiking.
But on Father’s Day of this year, the blue skies looking toward Hammonton filled with black plumes of smoke.
“It was a little jaw-dropping,” said Allison Hartman, Pinelands Adventures assistant operations manager. She remembered it started with just one tree on fire but quickly escalated to “a smoke plume in the sky and needing to evacuate people.”
In all, about 13,500 acres were destroyed because of an illegal campfire, according to officials.
A month since then, Pinelands Adventures is still trying to recover financially. It had to close for about two weeks of what is usually a busy month. Hartman hopes a return to full capacity will offset lost revenue.
She added they actually first learned of the fire from visitors on the river.
“We got a text message from one of the people we had put out earlier in the day saying that they were between mile markers three and four on the Mullica and they saw a tree that was engulfed in flames,” she recalled. “They said there was a lot of smoke, they were having trouble breathing, and they were afraid to continue.”
No one was hurt in the wildfire, but the damage was centered around the Batsto and Mullica rivers — two areas Pinelands Adventures uses.
As of Monday, just about all of the public trails are open, but there are still areas shut down by the Forest Service.
In a statement online, Pinelands Adventures said:
“All regular trips on the Batsto River are open. Wharton State Forest has re-opened the Mullica River and the Mullica Wilderness Campground. Pinelands Adventures will begin taking reservations to support the 5-hour, 8-hour, and Overnight trips for July 23rd. Although these routes are reopened, they will be for Advanced Paddlers only as new obstacles may still become present daily due to continued expected tree fall in the area. All paddlers should stay vigilant while exploring this area as there are hot spots, small fires still present. Current low water levels are also affecting this stretch of river and it is not recommended for beginners.”
“Once we’re able to open the trips that are on the closed section of the river, I think we’ll be able to rebound,” Hartman said.