The Mullica River fire was a 2022 wildfire in the Wharton State Forest in portions of Atlantic and Burlington counties in New Jersey. [1] The fire began in a remote area of the Wharton State Forest, and firefighters suspect it was caused by an illegal campfire found near its origin; [1] [2] it was first spotted from a fire tower at 10 AM on Sunday, June 19. [3] However, firefighters' initial attempt to extinguish the fire failed, partly because the inconvenient locations and poor condition of the roads around the fire made it difficult for firefighters to get to, and partly because dry weather and strong wind from the northwest helped the fire spread. [3] [4] By Tuesday, June 21, the fire had spread across parts of Washington and Shamong townships in Burlington County as well as Mullica Township and Hammonton in Atlantic County, while the wind carried ash from the fire as far south as Galloway Township and the smoke could be seen as far south as Ocean City. [3] The fire burned some 15,000 acres. [2] Trails and campgrounds as well as several roads in the affected area were closed during the fire, and about 50 people camping in the Wharton State Forest were evacuated, but nobody was injured or killed in the fire. [3] [5] The fire was mostly contained as of early June 23. [6] Trees began to regrow in the area impacted by the fire in July 2022, as the ecosystem is adapted to occasional forest fires. [5]
The Hayman Fire was a forest fire started on June 8, 2002, 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Colorado Springs, Colorado and 22 miles (35 km) southwest of Denver, Colorado and was, for 18 years, the largest wildfire in the state's recorded history at over 138,114 acres. During the 2020 wildfire season, the Pine Gulch Fire became the largest wildfire in state history. However, just 7 weeks later, the Cameron Peak Fire became the largest wildfire in Colorado history.
Egg Harbor City is a city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The city, and all of Atlantic County, is part of the Atlantic City-Hammonton metropolitan statistical area, which in turn is included in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 4,396, an increase of 153 (+3.6%) from the 2010 census count of 4,243, which in turn reflected a decline of 302 (−6.6%) from the 4,545 counted in the 2000 census.
Mullica Township is a township in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 5,816, a decrease of 331 (−5.4%) from the 2010 census count of 6,147, which in turn reflected an increase of 235 (+4.0%) from the 5,912 counted in the 2000 census. Geographically, the township, and all of Atlantic County, is part of the South Jersey region of the state and of the Atlantic City-Hammonton metropolitan statistical area, which in turn is included in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley.
Washington Township is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 693, an increase of 6 (+0.9%) from the 2010 census count of 687, which in turn reflected an increase of 66 (+10.6%) from the 621 counted in the 2000 census. The township, and all of Burlington County, is a part of the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley.
The Mullica River is a 50.6-mile-long (81.4 km) river in southern New Jersey in the United States. The Mullica was once known as the Little Egg Harbor River.
The Wading River is a tributary of the Mullica River, approximately 10.1 miles (16.3 km) long, in southern New Jersey in the United States. The river drains a rural forested area of the Pinelands, one of the most pristine areas along the coast of the northeastern United States.
Wharton State Forest is the largest state forest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the largest single tract of land in the state park system of New Jersey, encompassing approximately 122,880 acres (497.3 km2) of the Pinelands northeast of Hammonton. Its protected acreage is divided between Burlington, Camden, and Atlantic counties. The entire forest is located within the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion as well as the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve. The forest is located in the forested watershed of the Mullica River, which drains the central Pinelands region into the Great Bay. The forest is under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry.
The Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District is a regional public high school district in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The district serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from the constituent municipalities of Egg Harbor City, Galloway Township, Hamilton Township and Mullica Township, together with the districts of the City of Port Republic and Washington Township who attend as part of sending/receiving relationships.
Eric Pålsson Mullica was an early Finnish settler to New Sweden. He and his family were the source of the name of several geographic features and places in New Jersey.
County Route 563 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends 43.87 miles (70.60 km) from CR 629 in Margate City, Atlantic County north to Route 72 in Woodland Township, Burlington County. In Atlantic County, the road runs through a mix of suburban and rural areas, passing through Northfield, Egg Harbor Township, and Egg Harbor City. North of Egg Harbor City into Burlington County, CR 563 runs through the heavily forested Pine Barrens. Between Margate and Northfield, CR 563 runs along the Downbeach Express, a toll bridge that is maintained by Ole Hansen & Sons, Inc.
County Route 542 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends 20.57 miles (33.10 km) from Route 54 in Hammonton to U.S. Route 9 (US 9) in Bass River Township.
Cedar Creek High School is a public high school in Egg Harbor City, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school serves students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District and opened in September 2010. The school's colors are forest green, maroon and cream. The school mascot is the pirate.
The 2012 Colorado wildfires were an unusually devastating series of Colorado wildfires, including several separate fires that occurred throughout June, July, and August 2012. At least 34,500 residents were evacuated in June.
The Rim Fire was a massive wildfire that started in a remote canyon in Stanislaus National Forest, in California. This portion of the central Sierra Nevada spans Tuolumne and Mariposa counties. The fire started on August 17, 2013, during the 2013 California wildfire season, and grew to be the second-largest wildfire in California's recorded history and the largest recorded in the Sierra Nevada, having burned 257,314 acres. As of 2022, the Rim Fire was California's 11th-largest modern wildfire. The Rim Fire was fully contained on Thursday, October 24, 2013, after a nine-week suppression effort by firefighters. Due to a lack of winter rains, some logs smoldered in the interior portion of the fire footprint throughout the winter. More than a year passed before it was declared out on November 4, 2014.
Green Bank is an unincorporated community located within Washington Township, in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. It is located on the Mullica River.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) is an agency within the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Founded in 1906 with a focus on wildland fire suppression and fire protection, the Forest Fire Service is the largest firefighting department within the state of New Jersey in the United States with 85 full-time professional firefighting personnel, and approximately 2,000 trained part-time on-call wildland firefighters throughout the state. Its mission is to protect "life and property, as well as the state's natural resources, from wildfire".
The Soberanes Fire was a large wildfire that burned 57 homes and killed a bulldozer operator, and cost about $260 million to suppress, making it at the time the most expensive wildfire to fight in United States history. The Soberanes Fire was the result of an illegal campfire in Garrapata State Park. The fire burned 132,127 acres (53,470 ha) along the Big Sur coast in the Los Padres National Forest, Ventana Wilderness, and adjacent private and public land in Monterey County, California. At the fire's peak, over 5,000 personnel were assigned to the blaze. At the time that it was extinguished, the Soberanes fire ranked 18th on the list of the top 20 largest California wildfires, in terms of acreage burned.
The Tinder Fire was a wildfire that burned 16,309 acres (66.00 km2) of the Coconino National Forest in the U.S. state of Arizona during April and May 2018. The fire was detected by a United States Forest Service (USFS) lookout tower on April 27, 2018, and firefighters began working to contain its spread within the day. Benefiting from high winds, low humidity, and high temperatures, the fire grew rapidly over late April, prompting the closure of Arizona State Route 87 and evacuation orders for 1,000 houses in Coconino County. These orders remained until May 4. Almost 700 firefighters worked to contain the spread of the fire, which was fully contained on May 24. The investigation into the fire determined that the Tinder Fire was caused by an illegal campfire.
The 2020 Maricopa County wildfires were a series of major and non-major wildfires that took place in Maricopa County, Arizona, from the month of May to the month of October. In the year 2020, Arizona saw one of its worst fire seasons in the states history. Due to the lack of precipitation needed in Arizona, the state fell into an ongoing drought from late 2020 and 2021. High winds were also present during the summer when fire season is mostly active in the state. These factors led to the wildfires in Maricopa County to be destructive and costly.
The 1999 Jones Fire was a destructive wildfire in the U.S. state of California's Shasta County. The fire ignited on October 16, and was contained on October 19, 1999. It burned 26,200 acres, destroyed 954 structures, and resulted in one fatality, becoming the then-2nd most destructive wildfire ever recorded in California, behind only the Oakland firestorm of 1991. Though it has since fallen in the ranks, as of 2023 it remains one of the 20 most destructive wildfires in the history of the state. The cause of the fire was never determined.