A teen boy is accused of intentionally starting a wildfire that burned through more than 50 acres in Evesham Township, New Jersey, last month.
On Oct. 30, around 1 p.m., Evesham Police responded to a wildfire in the area near Sycamore Drive and the Berlin Township border. Over the next few days, the fire burned through 52 acres of land though no structures were damaged.
Evesham Police, Evesham firefighters and the New Jersey Forest Fire Service investigated the cause of the fire and determined it was an arson. They then identified a 14-year-old boy from Marlton, New Jersey, as the person who intentionally set it.
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The teen was arrested on Nov. 7, 2024, and charged with aggravated arson and causing or risking widespread injury or damage. He is currently lodged in the Middlesex Juvenile Detention Center pending his first appearance. Officials are not revealing the teen’s identity due to his age.
Investigators also said the Oct. 30 fire may be connected to another fire that occurred in the area of Sycamore Drive on Nov. 7. That fire consumed 375 acres before it was contained. No structures were damaged.
If you have any information on either fire, please call Evesham Police at 856-983-1116. You can also leave a confidential tip by calling 856-983-4699, emailing MahanD@eveshampd.org or texting ETPDTIP to 847411.
NJ wildfires and drought
The fires were two of many wildfires that have plagued New Jersey in recent weeks. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a drought warning on Wednesday as conditions in the state are the driest they’ve been in nearly 120 years with numerous wildfires burning in places that haven’t seen significant rain since August.
The declaration by Gov. Phil Murphy asked people to take voluntary conservation steps, like shorter showers, turning the faucet off while brushing teeth, and waiting until the dishwasher is full to run it.
But it stopped short of mandatory water usage restrictions, which would be included in a drought emergency, the highest alert the government can impose.
New Jersey is not yet at the point where communities are in danger of running out of water for drinking or fighting fires. And the state wants to prevent things from reaching that point.
“Please take this seriously,” Murphy said. “We have a very dry winter ahead of us.”
Dry conditions in New Jersey and New York are a growing concern, not only for firefighting efforts but for the continued availability of drinking water.
Two major reservoirs in New Jersey were at 51% and 45% of capacity on Wednesday, enough to keep the taps flowing, but low enough to cause concern for what might happen with additional weeks or months of low rainfall. One river that is a supplemental source of drinking water was at 14% of normal.
September and October were the driest two-month period ever recorded in New Jersey. Since August, the state has received 2 inches (5 cm) of rain when it should have gotten a foot (0.3 meters).
No significant rainfall was in the foreseeable forecast, officials said.
