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June 17, 2025

Wildfire in South Jersey's Wharton State Forest is now 90% contained

The blaze, which began Friday, has closed numerous roads and threatened five structures in Burlington County.

Environment Wildfires
Burlington County fire Doug Hood/USA TODAY NETWORK

Firefighters are still working to contain a blaze in Wharton State Forest as of Tuesday afternoon. Crews respond to a 2022 wildfire in the park in the picture above.

The Mines Spung Wildfire that began Friday in Burlington County has spread across 6,000 acres, but the blaze is about 90% contained as of Tuesday afternoon, firefighters say.

The flames, which originated around the Carranza Memorial in Wharton State Forest, have threatened five structures in the area. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. 


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The wildfire prompted an evacuation of Phillip M. Costello Preparatory Academy last week. That has since lifted, but Lower Forge Campground and numerous roads in Shamong Township are currently inaccessible. Bulldozer and Hampton roads are shuttered, along with several local forest paths. The stretches of Tuckerton Road from Carranza Road to Washington Turnpike and Carranza Road from Forked Neck to Tuckerton roads also are closed.

Batona Trail, a roughly 50-mile hiking path through the Pinelands, is closed between Carranza and Quaker Bridge roads, too. 

The wildfire has grown significantly since a private aircraft first spotted the blaze Friday morning. It initially impacted only 100 acres of Wharton State Forest, but had spread to 2,500 acres by Friday night. New Jersey Forest Fire Service crews are battling the flames with fire engines and bulldozers. They plan to deploy an observation flight when the skies clear.


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