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Wildfire burning in South Jersey, as wind gusts carry smoke for miles

The Brief A large wildfire is burning at Fort Mott State Park, in Salem County, New Jersey. The fire was sending huge plumes of black smoke into the air and could be seen for miles. PENNSVILLE, N.J. - A wildfire began burning in Fort Mott State Park Saturday afternoon, sending fire crews into thick, black smoke in order to wrestle the situation under control. The National Weather Service issued a special weather advisory earlier Saturday, alerting residents of low humidity and high wind gusts, which often leads to increased fire danger. What we know A wildfire broke out at Fort Mott State Park around 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The National Weather Service posted about it to social media saying it was visible on local radar. Huge plumes of thick, black smoke could be seen for miles and was picked up on Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) cameras. The backstory Saturday morning, the National Weather Service warned of an increased fire risk throughout the region, while also posting a Red Flag Warning for all of Delaware, due to strong winds expected for the day. Winds were blowing about 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph Saturday afternoon, which humidity was low. As the strong winds continued to blow from the northwest, the smoke was blown across Salem and Cumberland County. Dig deeper The strong wind gusts likely a contributing factor to some of the power outages PECO experienced in the afternoon. Around the same time that the fire started, close to 1,000 people were without power in southeastern Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, all of New Jersey is listed in various stages of drought conditions, and with all of South Jersey experiencing severe or extreme drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Consequences Ultimate Doppler Radar picked up the smoke. It looked like a big storm on the radar, which just goes to show how widespread the smoke was and that the fire was producing so much of it. What's next The N.J. Forest Fire Service was on the scene. They alerted the public to the situation saying 25 acres were burning with no containment and 12 structures were threatened. They did say no roads were affected.