Residents allowed back home as crews work to contain 300-acre N.J. wildfire

A wildfire burning on the border of Burlington and Camden counties has grown much larger since Thursday morning, but fire crews said they have made good progress in containing it.
The Bethany Run Wildfire, which is located in the towns of Evesham and Voorhees, had burned through 300 acres as of 8 p.m. but was 50% contained, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said Thursday night.
While the blaze threatened 104 structures in the area, earlier evacuation orders were lifted at 6:30 p.m., the service said.
Sycamore Avenue remains closed, as does Kettle Run Road from Braddock Mill Road to Hopewell Road, fire officials said.
The fire’s cause is still unknown but investigators said it broke out in the Black Run Preserve area in Evesham Township before spreading to the Camden County border.
It is one of two wildfires that started Thursday. The other is a 133-acre blaze burning in the Glassboro Wildlife Management Area in Gloucester County.
Persistent dry conditions have sparked fires over the last few months throughout wooded areas of New Jersey with three counties experiencing rare “extreme” drought conditions.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service announced this week that it responded to 507 fire incidents in October alone.
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Chris Sheldon may be reached at [email protected].