A second teenager has been charged with deliberately igniting a wildfire in a suburban area of New Jersey, close to Philadelphia, just as significant rainfall was anticipated to aid in controlling a persistent fire that has been burning along the New Jersey-New York border on Wednesday.
Numerous regions in the Northeast have been placed under red flag alerts due to extremely dry and windy conditions, prompting firefighters to respond to hundreds of brush fires. Officials have indicated that New Jersey and New York are experiencing their driest weather in 120 to 150 years, which is necessitating prolonged rainstorms in these states and areas of New England.
On Wednesday, Evesham Township police announced the arrest of a 14-year-old boy from Marlton in relation to a wildfire that occurred on October 30, which scorched less than a tenth of a square mile. Another teenager from Marlton was charged on November 7 with the same offense. The most recent arrest was made on Tuesday and revealed to the public on Wednesday. Both teenagers face charges of aggravated arson and the risk of causing widespread injury or damage.
The two suspects have been placed in a juvenile detention center as authorities examine links to a second wildfire that ignited in Evesham a week later, which affected a slightly larger area.
A storm predicted to arrive in the New Jersey and New York regions on Wednesday is expected to deliver what officials in New York have classified as “significant” rainfall, particularly in areas affected by the Jennings Creek wildfire, which has consumed 8.3 square miles and was reported to be 90% contained as of Wednesday morning.
While the rain is likely to assist fire crews in extinguishing the flames in tough-to-access rugged terrains, it may also introduce its own set of complications.
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation cautioned in a statement on Tuesday night that rain-soaked soil within the charred area might become unstable and susceptible to erosion. This could lead to downed burned and decaying trees in the fire zone. Additionally, a mixture of mud and charred debris could flow into nearby waterways, resulting in discoloration issues.
On a positive note, two smaller wildfires in New Jersey, each impacting less than a tenth of a square mile, were reported as fully contained by Wednesday morning. These fires were located in Hainesport in Burlington County and in Pine Park in Lakewood in Ocean County.