A firefighter is silhouetted against a forest fire on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 in Evesham, N.J.
New Jersey residents in the areas nearest the Bethany Run Wildfire got something of a rude awakening on Sunday as smoke from the wildfire caused Carbon Monoxide alarms across the area to go off across the region this morning.
On Sunday morning, fire officials in Evesham, New Jersey, noted that they were aware of the issue and that these kinds of detectors are "hypersensitive" to smoke.
"Overnight the cold air kept the smoke from the Bethany Run wildfire low to the ground and the wind changed from a southerly direction pushing it north towards Kings Grant community/Barton Run and surrounding neighborhoods. This has caused Carbon Monoxide detectors to activate in homes, as the sensors are hypersensitive to smoke, CO, and particulate. We have more than 50 calls for activations," the Evesham Fire-Rescue posted on social media on Sunday morning.
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Officials told residents to turn off their heat and call 9-1-1 if they don't feel well.
Meanwhile, Gloucester County Emergency Management said they are getting an 'influx' of calls, and posted, at about 7:44 a.m. that fire crews throughout the area answered "an unprecedented amount of calls for service since mid morning" due to CO detectors activating because of the smoky conditions.
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Here, as of about 8:30 a.m., officials said there were no evacuation orders in place and, instead, residents were instructed to close doors and windows and remain indoors to help alleviate the effects of the smoke.
This wildfire has been burning since Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024 and, officials said on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, that the fire was 90% contained.
Officials said Sunday that they are monitoring the situation and remain hopeful that the conditions will improve.
This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as new information becomes available.
