Forest fire covers 800 acres in Camden County

WATERFORD – A major forest fire spread through at least 800 acres of Wharton State Forest in Camden County on Sunday.

The fire outmatched a 250-acre blaze that tore through the other side of the forest in Burlington County just two days before.

A spokesman with the New Jersey State Forest Fire Service said campers and hikers were told to leave Goshen Park Campgrounds Sunday morning. The Atsion Ranger Station was designated as the staging area for firefighting operations, which center around Atsion Lake in Waterford Township.

The fire is burning in a remote location, and is not a threat to any property, according to the fire service.

The far-reaching blaze could be seen from many parts of Camden and Burlington counties, and quickly spread to 250 acres by mid-afternoon. By evening, the fire covered 800 acres, but was 30 percent contained, a spokesman said.

Forest fires have plagued the state over the past week as dry, windy conditions continue.

A Cumberland County fire damaged roughly 1,500 acres of woodlands Thursday. Another fire burned more than 300 acres last week in Berkeley and neighboring Beachwood, Ocean County.