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WHARTON STATE FOREST, N.J. (CBS) — Crews are fighting fire with fire as they work to contain a massive wildfire at Wharton State Forest in Burlington and Atlantic Counties. The fire began around 10 a.m. Sunday in Burlington County and has reached 13,500 acres in size as of Tuesday, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said.

The fire is 85% contained.

WILDFIRE UPDATE: Wharton State Forest – Mullica River Fire@njdepforestfire continues to make substantial progress in containing a wildfire in Wharton State Forest -Washington, Shamong, Hammonton & Mullica Townships- which has reached 13,500 acres in size and is 85% contained. pic.twitter.com/zrukHezWJM

— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) June 21, 2022

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“I saw the smoke kinda rising and turning like an orange color. It looked like a scene from a movie like the end of the world type thing,” Shamong resident Andrew Schmehl said.

Thick plumes of smoke were seen billowing in the air in South Jersey Monday.

Fire crews are actively battling the Mullica River Fire that spread rapidly in Wharton State Forest.

Crews escorted Eyewitness News back into the forest to give a closer look at the firefight. At one point, the fire was just moments away from destroying Paradise Lakes Campground.

Owner Scott Miller says he got the terrifying phone call.

“And say, ‘Listen, we have a major fire. It’s headed your way and can you get your people out?'” Miller said.

Miller endlessly thanked crews for saving his life and business.

“It’s scary because we could have been trapped if it jumped there but these guys held it off. We owe Forest Fire the biggest thanks in the world,” he said.

The effort to control it hasn’t been an easy one.

Crews say the fire was fueled by the wind and has been burning in a remote area that’s hard to access.

“So now we have to worry about trees falling on the road and worst yet, falling on our staff that are working. So the hazards certainly increase in the evening,” Miller said.

New Jersey Forest Fire Service Chief Greg McLaughlin says crews are using an indirect approach to battle the wildfire by burning out all the vegetation around the fire so it cannot spread any further in all directions.

“Conditions were dangerous and the fuels were dry and we had to step back and use an indirect attack to be able to contain the fire,” Incident commander John Earlin Jr. said.

The fire has impacted land in Washington, Shamong, Hammonton and Mullica Townships, which are in Burlington and Atlantic Counties.

McLaughlin says as crews worked through the afternoon and evening to contain the fire on Sunday, but when the wind shifted it pushed the fire east of the Mullica River and then again west of the river.

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“This caused us to regroup again and reassess the situation to move our containment lines out to a larger area and this is why you see the fire continue to grow in size,” McLaughlin said.

With acres and acres burning and hours and hours of hard work, crews are asking for patience as this has become the largest wildfire in New Jersey since 2007.

The Division of Fire Safety is assisting in the investigation into the cause of the fire, but McLaughlin says they have “essentially ruled out natural causes.”

“The majority of our forest fires are human-caused,” Shawn M. LaTourette, New Jersey’s Commissioner of Environmental Protection, said. “Legal campfires, campfires that are not fully extinguished continue to pose a great risk.

ROAD CLOSURES

These closures will remain in effect until further notice.

Route 206, from Chew Road to Atsion Road, and Route 542, Green Bank Road to Columbia Road, were closed but have since reopened.

ROAD CLOSURE UPDATES ? Route 206 – Reopened 11 a.m. ? Route 542 – Reopened 10 a.m.

— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) June 21, 2022

Meanwhile, Pinelands Adventures has suspended kayak and canoe trips. Crews are also working to protect 18 structures within the containment area including private and state campgrounds and some buildings on a cranberry and blueberry farm.

Motorists traveling in the area are warned to remain cautious for smoke and watch for firefighters and fire vehicles that may be working on the roadways.

Motorists traveling in the area should remain cautious of smoke and watch for firefighters and fire vehicles that may be working on nearby roadways. Smoke impacts will remain elevated into the evening hours as winds diminish, and partial cloud cover moves over the area.

— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) June 21, 2022

A total of 50 people have been evacuated from campgrounds and other surrounding areas. Jeremy Savo, an organizer of a music festival called Beardfest is among the evacuees.

“Right now, we have stages and sound systems, tents, someone’s car, an RV like thousands of dollars of music equipment, it’s all there, we can’t get in. Our team is just standing by. We all just went out to brunch, just waiting to see what happens because we still have to clean up the festival,” Savo said.

Wildfires aren’t uncommon in New Jersey, but this is a large one as the Garden State averages approximately 7,000 acres burned per year in wildfires, according to the National Weather Service.

People as far away as Galloway Township, which is 22 miles away, reported seeing smoke from the wildfire and ash falling on their cars.

On Monday, officials said approximately 60 firefighters are fighting the blaze.

There are no reports of any injuries at this time.

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CBS3’s Madeleine Wright and Kerri Corrado contributed to this report.

It’s been 15 years in the making, but now a team of Rutgers researchers has created and unveiled a new strawberry variety.

The berry is derived from plant biology professor emeritus Gojko Jelenkovic’s 30 years of testing hundreds of varieties to develop a better-tasting strawberry.

“What we were striving for was a berry with very deep strawberry flavor,” said Bill Hlubik, Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station agent.

Not only were they looking for a sweet-tasting fruit, but they were looking for a berry that local farms could produce and grow, and sell within a few days, all while packing a huge punch of flavor, he said.

It’s recommended that with this type of strawberry with a lot of flavor, it should be harvested when it’s cool early in the morning. It will retain its flavor, Hlubik said.

The variety is known as the “Rutgers D’Light."

The unique feature of the D’Light is that it’s shaped like an old-fashioned Christmas light bulb, hence the name “D’light,” Hlubik said.

Due to that shape, it is the ideal strawberry for dipping in chocolate, according to Hlubik. But if you don’t want to dip it, that’s okay because this berry has such an outstanding flavor on its own.

The Rutgers D’Light plant produces a lot of fruit early to mid-season.

In 2015, a team of Rutgers researchers also developed the “Rutgers Scarlet” strawberry. Hlubik said this is a conventional shaped strawberry and red in color all the way through. It, too, has tremendous flavor and the plant produces a lot of berries.

“I’ve done multiple taste tests on both of our new Rutgers strawberries and they always come out on top for flavor,” he said. The Scarlet is a tad sweeter but the D’light has different types of volatile compounds that give it a distinct, unique strawberry flavor.Hlubik said he enjoyed adding the D’Light to his milkshakes.

Some Rutgers students made strawberry jam with the D’Light berries too, he added.

Old Hightstown Brewery in Hightstown, NJ is also in the process of turning the Scarlet and D’Light berries into a couple of beers that will be sold in the near future. He said the latter will be called “Decker’s Best Strawberry D’Light, a milkshake IPA.”

Strawberry season is coming to an end in New Jersey. Specca Farm in Bordentown was carrying the D’Light variety but Hlubik said next year, more New Jersey growers and farmers will have the Rutgers strawberry varieties on hand.

In the meantime, residents can buy the Rutgers D’Light from Indiana Berry. If they’re planted now, Hlubik said you’ll likely have a lot of berries next season.

Jen Ursillo is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at [email protected]

These are the best hiking spots in New Jersey

A trip to New Jersey doesn't have to be all about the beach. Our state has some incredible trails, waterfalls, and lakes to enjoy.

From the Pine Barrens to the Appalachian Trail to the hidden gems of New Jersey, you have plenty of options for a great hike. Hiking is such a great way to spend time outdoors and enjoy nature, plus it's a great workout.

Before you go out on the trails and explore some of our listeners' suggestions, I have some tips on hiking etiquette from the American Hiking Society.

If you are going downhill and run into an uphill hiker, step to the side and give the uphill hiker space. A hiker going uphill has the right of way unless they stop to catch their breath.

Always stay on the trail, you may see side paths, unless they are marked as an official trail, steer clear of them. By going off-trail you may cause damage to the ecosystems around the trail, the plants, and wildlife that live there.

You also do not want to disturb the wildlife you encounter, just keep your distance from the wildlife and continue hiking.

Bicyclists should yield to hikers and horses. Hikers should also yield to horses, but I’m not sure how many horses you will encounter on the trails in New Jersey.

If you are thinking of bringing your dog on your hike, they should be leashed, and make sure to clean up all pet waste.

Lastly, be mindful of the weather, if the trail is too muddy, it's probably best to save your hike for another day.

I asked our listeners for their suggestions of the best hiking spots in New Jersey, check out their suggestions:

Tillman Ravine near stokes state forest! Following the stream to larger pools in the spring and summer are so nice to walk through! It is beautiful and so lush green!

South Mountain Reservation Fairy Trail. Not really hiking, more of a walk in the woods but so much fun with kids. They get to look for fairy houses while you walk and end at a stream they can go in when it’s warm or throw rocks in.

The backside of Stairway to Heaven from Barry lakes — high breeze wildflowers lead to beautiful wooden bridge over peaceful stream amidst peaceful serenity of the quiet woods.

UPDATE: As of Monday morning, June 20, the SOMSD COVID Dashboard reflects that Maplewood Middle School has returned to universal indoor masking as the result of an outbreak. More information here.

Although the COVID-19 infection rate remained high throughout Maplewood and in the state of New Jersey, Maplewood’s health officer told elected officials at the Board of Health meeting on June 8 that the township’s numbers would soon lessen.

Health Officer Candice Davenport also gave updates on influenza, monkeypox, vaccination locations, baby formula resources, free summer meals for children — and a plan to provide health department services to South Orange — during an update to the Board of Health embedded within the Maplewood Township Committee meeting on June 8.

Two types of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 have spread through Maplewood “fast and furious over the last few weeks,” Davenport said at the June 8 meeting. She said that the Board of Health had been “overseeing outbreaks” in the South Orange-Maplewood School district but would be closing out the monitoring “within the week.” Most cases in those outbreaks, Davenport said, resulted from students traveling or participating in shows or other large events. “The school district has taken precautions and we are moving forward to hopefully a nice break” when school ends later this month, Davenport said.

“We are overseeing outbreaks that are closing through our schools,” said Davenport. “We are closing the monitoring probably within the week. We had to keep them open and monitor for two incubation periods but we have had no cases since then so we are happily closing those.” A review of the SOMSD COVID Dashboard shows 2 cases for Clinton for the week of May 27 and 5 cases for South Mountain; and 0 cases for either school the week of June 3. Since Davenport’s report there was 1 case reported at Clinton for the week of June 10; and 2 cases each for Clinton and SMS for the week of June 17.

According to the data shown during Davenport’s presentation to the Board of Health, in May, there were 577 COVID cases in the township but the numbers are “slowly evening out,” she said. “Hopefully COVID has gone through our community and will dissipate shortly.”

If people need COVID vaccines or tests, Davenport said, Essex County’s site at the former Sears in the Livingston Mall has more limited hours now than it did earlier this year but offers both services three days a week. Mobile sites are offering additional times. All county sites are also offering pediatric COVID boosters now to children aged 5-11. If the pediatric dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages six months to four years is approved by the FDA, Davenport said, the county will also begin offering those vaccines as soon as they are available. “We are eagerly awaiting that,” Davenport said.

Davenport warned those at high risk of developing severe COVID-19 that taking Paxlovid, an antiviral, to reduce symptoms, comes with the risk of developing a “rebound” illness two to eight days after testing negative. If that happens, Davenport said, people should isolate for five days, re-test, and then wear a mask for another five days, just as they would have done during their initial infection.

Davenport offered updates on two other illnesses that have been in the news recently. Influenza cases, she said, had been high in Maplewood and in New Jersey for several weeks. “It’s weird to be talking about influenza in June,” she said, but because mask mandates were lifted in the last few months and people resumed normal activity levels, “influenza has kind of a lag time.” Influenza cases, Davenport said, were now trending towards “moderate to low” in the area.

Monkeypox, which has made headlines of late, is rare and comes with little risk to most people in the area, Davenport said. But because there have been eight reported cases in New York City, most linked to travel, she cautioned Maplewood residents to take precautions if using area airports, including Newark Liberty Airport. Monkeypox is transmitted more by close proximity to an infected person or animals and less through the air, Davenport said, but she said that wearing a mask, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control, can help mitigate the risk of infection.

Davenport hailed the installation of a new suicide prevention lifeline in New Jersey. Residents who feel that they or someone they know are at risk of harming themselves can call 988 and receive counseling and assistance.

A website to help Maplewood residents locate or import baby formula during the current shortage, established by the federal Department of Health and Human Services, is now available. Click here for those resources.

She urged residents to complete a New Jersey state behavioral health survey over the phone in the next few weeks, saying that results drove funding and grant funding for municipalities.

And she said that the Maplewood township website now featured resources for both people with disabilities to access services, and for LGBTQ+ healthcare assistance.

Davenport also announced that free breakfast and lunch would be provided to Maplewood children under 18 and to local adults over 18 with special needs from July 11 to August 19 in Maplecrest Park. Township committee member Jamaine Cripe asked Davenport to look into services for food-insecure adults, noting that two recent food drives in which Cripe took part had far more demand than supply. Davenport said she could provide social support to local seniors to help with food insecurity and would discuss further the issue with Cripe to make sure other adults’ needs were met.

The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings Friday afternoon in three New Jersey counties, urging people in those areas to immediately seek shelter in a sturdy building as strong thunderstorms were pushing across the region from the south and west.

As of 4:15 p.m. Friday, all of the tornado warnings had expired, as the thunderstorms in the warning zone became weaker and the tornado threat got smaller, according to the weather service’s regional forecast office in Mount Holly.

The first warning was issued shortly before 3:30 p.m. Friday in Burlington and Camden counties and remained active until 4 p.m. Friday. The weather service said the warning was prompted by a severe thunderstorm that is “capable of producing a tornado” and moving about 8 miles southeast of Gloucester City.

The second tornado warning was issued shortly before 4 p.m. for parts of Burlington and Ocean counties, as strong thunderstorms were showing cloud rotation on radar, the weather service said.

UPDATE (4:20 p.m.): Strong thunderstorms continue to move across some sections of central and southern New Jersey at this hour, prompting severe thunderstorm warnings to be issued in Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean and Somerset counties, effective until 4:45 p.m. Friday.

UPDATE (4:50 p.m.): The severe thunderstorm watch that had been issued earlier today has now been canceled in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Salem and Warren counties. However, the thunderstorm watch remains active until 7 p.m. Friday in Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Somerset and Sussex counties.

Recent N.J. weather alerts

Tornado warnings are typically issued if weather forecasters spot rotating winds on radar or if people on the ground report the sighting of a funnel cloud.

As of 4:15 p.m., there were no reports of any funnel clouds spotted on the ground in any area of New Jersey.

In the tornado warning for Burlington and Ocean counties, the weather service said it saw rotation on radar. And in the warning, it urged residents in those areas to take immediate cover.

“Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows,” the warning said. “If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.”

UPDATE (3:55 p.m.): At about 3:50 p.m. Friday, the weather service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Burlington, Monmouth and Ocean counties, effective until 4:30 p.m. The weather service said the storm cell moving through those areas could become intense enough to produce a tornado.

Forecasters say a series of strong thunderstorms moving in from the south and west are expected to produce heavy downpours, damaging winds and small hail, and some of the downpours could cause rapid flooding — especially in low-lying areas near rivers, streams and creeks. That’s what prompted a flood watch to be issued earlier today in Hunterdon, Mercer and Warren counties.

Just one week ago, a weak tornado swept through two Monmouth County towns, crossing the Garden State Parkway before dissipating about a minute after it formed, the National Weather Service said. The twister, with peak winds of 85 mph, uprooted trees and damaged fences, utility poles and power lines on its less-than-one mile trek through Aberdeen and Hazlet.

One home sustained structural damage after a tree fell onto its roof, and other houses lost siding, roof shingles or gutters. The weather service said the tornado was rated EF-0 — the weakest category — and was 225 yards wide at its peak.

New Jersey normally gets an average of two tornadoes each year, but last year the state was rocked by an unusually high number — with 13 confirmed twisters touching down.

Six tornadoes struck the Garden State on July 29, 2021 during a rare outbreak of supercell thunderstorms, and three touched down on Sept. 1, 2021 when the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida pounded our region with strong storms and torrential rain.

The Sept. 1 outbreak included an EF-3 tornado — one of the strongest twisters on record in the Garden State — which destroyed many houses and caused other widespread destruction in Gloucester County.

The state’s all-time record is 17 tornadoes, in 1989, according to data from the National Weather Service. But the number is actually as high as 19 if you include two tornadoes that originated in eastern Pennsylvania and crossed into New Jersey that year, said New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson.

Note: For the most current weather advisories, watches and warnings that are active in New Jersey, check this National Weather Service alert page.

Current weather radar

Thank you for relying on us to provide the local weather news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Jeff Goldman contributed to this report.

In March 2019, Chale Ashley took in her 12-year-old nephew Ashton to live with her in Brick. Ashton’s mother, as Chale described it, was no longer able to properly care for him.

A few months later, Ashton approached his aunt with an idea.

“Hey, what if you adopted me?” Ashton recalls saying. “At first she was a little hesitant, but I talked to her about it and after a while she was like, ‘Yes, this is the right direction.’”

It took nearly three years to come to fruition. The adoption was finalized last month. The process was a legal and emotional roller coaster. At one point an anonymous do-gooder slipped $1,000 in an envelope under Chale’s door, to help her cover associated costs. It worked out in the end, but Chale and Ashton, who is now 15, would like to shed some light on the journey for those considering kinship guardianship or kinship adoption.

“I didn’t understand any of the law,” Chale said. “A big thing is finding the resources.”

Helping so many:Love 'flows like a river' for Oceanport foster mom who helped raise over 700 kids

According to Advocates for Children of New Jersey, a Newark-based nonprofit that helped author New Jersey law in this area, “kinship care — placing children with relatives rather than non-relative foster parents — is associated with significant benefits for children and youth, including improved mental and behavioral health.”

With that in mind, in July 2021 Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation to prioritize the increasing of kinship placements for at-risk children by the state’s Department of Children and Families.

“Given the new law and the focus of the department on relatives, which is a very positive move forward, people need to learn more and ask more questions,” said Mary Coogan, an attorney who is vide president of Advocates for Children of New Jersey. “It can get a little tricky.”

How did it work out? Revisiting the Toms River family who took in six homeless siblings

Chale Ashley experienced that firsthand. After filing for emergency temporary custody of her sister's son Ashton in the spring of 2019, which became temporary custody shortly thereafter, she was granted kinship guardianship in April 2021.

That gave her some rights without relinquishing the rights of Ashton’s birth mother.

But Ashton “really wanted the stability” of kinship adoption, Chale Ashley said. Partly because the pandemic slowed the legal machinery to a crawl, the entire process stretched over nearly three years. It took a village to navigate the thicket.

Help came from Toms River-based Children’s Mobile Response and Stabilization services, which provided short-term counseling. It came from the nonprofit Ocean Partnership for Children, which provided long-term counseling and was “a great resource for the family’s therapeutic needs throughout this whole process,” Chale Ashley said.

It came from The Village of Children and Families, a Point Pleasant Beach nonprofit that provided clothing. It came from the state-run Kinship Navigator program, which covered some expenses and issued a $500 grant toward bedding and other household needs.

The thing is, Chale Ashley had to find this stuff on her own. When it came to legal issues, like who had what rights, she found herself calling the family court’s clerk with questions.

“Sometimes we don’t spend enough time really talking with the kinship legal guardian and the parent about their new relationship and making sure people understand it,” Advocates for Children of New Jersey’s Coogan said. “The system does not always manage expectations appropriately, making sure that both the parents and caregivers understand what the other is expecting down the road. If we can get people to resources, smaller issues wouldn’t blow up.”

Acts of kindness helped, too. During a retreat with True Life Church, her congregation in Brick, Chale found an envelope with $1,000 under her door. It was the exact amount she needed to pay adoption-related fees.

“It was really amazing,” Ashley said. “I wasn’t even talking about it. We were really grateful.”

After five months of postponements, the adoption was granted May 18.

“It was very exciting,” Ashton said. “I was also nervous.”

He’s a sophomore at Ambassador Christian Academy in Wall, where Chale is a teacher. Before the hearing he wrote a letter to the judge.

“I was explaining how I wanted to go through with the adoption and how I would be better off with Chale,” Ashton said. “She’s very caring. She listens to my problems. She has a lot of restrictions, but it’s for the best.”

They live in Farmingdale, the two of them and a dog.

“I’m really proud of him,” Chale said of Ashton. “He’s handled all of this with a lot of grace. He wanted to do things different and better.”

The Ashleys have hard-earned advice for anyone exploring kinship guardianship or kinship adoption — or trying to navigate the process.

“Ask a lot of questions,” Chale said. “And don’t give up.”

For more information on kinship guardianship or kinship adoption, email Advocates for Children of New Jersey vice president Mary Coogan at [email protected] or visit the nonprofit’s website at www.acnj.org.

Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at [email protected]