Teen deliberately set Evesham wildfire, officials say – NBC10 Philadelphia

A teenager is accused of intentionally starting a wildfire that burned through more than 50 acres in Evesham Township, New Jersey, last month.

On October 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, although no structures were damaged.

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Evesham Police, Evesham firefighters and the New Jersey Forest Fire Service investigated the cause of the fire and determined it was arson. They then identified a 14-year-old boy from Marlton, New Jersey, as the person who intentionally planted it.

The teenager was arrested on November 7, 2024 and charged with aggravated arson and causing or threatening to cause grievous hurt or damage. He is currently being held at the Middlesex Juvenile Detention Center awaiting his initial appearance. Officials are not releasing the teenager’s identity because of 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. This fire consumed 375 acres before it was contained. No structures were damaged.

If you have information about either fire, please call Evesham Police at 856-983-1116. You can also leave a confidential tip by calling 856-983-4699, emailing [email protected] or texting ETPDTIP to 847411.

The fires were two of many wildfires that have plagued New Jersey in recent weeks. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a drought warning on Wednesday as conditions in the state are the driest in nearly 120 years with several wildfires burning in places that have not seen significant rain since August.

The statement from Gov. Phil Murphy asked people to take voluntary conservation measures, such as taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet while brushing teeth and waiting until the dishwasher is full to run it.

But it stopped short of mandatory water-use restrictions that 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 at risk of running out of water to drink or fight fires. And the state wants to prevent things from getting that far.

“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 potable water.

Two major reservoirs in New Jersey were at 51% and 45% of capacity Wednesday, enough to keep faucets flowing but low enough to raise concerns about what could happen with additional weeks or months of low rainfall. A 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 received a foot (0.3 meters).

No significant rainfall was in the foreseeable forecast, officials said.