Massive brush fire in West Milford spreads to 140 acres, not contained

Not even 24 hours after multiple agencies subdued a large brush fire in Teaneck, crews from several departments were on scene at a fire raging in the woods near the Charlotteburg Reservoir along Route 23 in West Milford, dubbed the Kanouse Wildfire by the NJ Forest Fire Service several hours into its destructive spread.

An alert from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service at 7:30 p.m. stated that fire has "reached 140 acres in size and is 0% contained." Ten structures were threatened by the blaze, the agency said.

Large billowing clouds drifted across the highway and impacted visibility, according to eyewitness accounts.

Just before 2:30 p.m., the NJ Department of Transportation issued an alert that all northbound lanes of Route 23 were shut down. Meanwhile, township police said nearby Echo Lake Road − a lifeline for local residents when the highway is inaccessible − was also closed to traffic.

“I was heading Route 23 south and saw the smoke at first. When we got to it from the other side of the highway you could feel the heat. It was upsetting to see the flames spreading up the mountain and that the firemen could only reach so far,” said Clare Kent, who had driven through the area at about 2:30 p.m. “Echo Lake Road was very smoky. We had to roll up our windows.”

As the the flames spread, operators of the Echo Lakes Stables on Blakely Lane said they evacuating their horses.

The fire caused widespread disruptions for JCP&L. At 7 p.m., the utility reported 601 customers in West Milford without service, which was restored by 9:30 p.m.

Photos sent to NorthJersey.com by Kent ― along with aerial images published by local news channels ― show smoky clouds billowing down from the hills among acres of wooded lands.

It’s difficult for anyone familiar with that section of highway to pick a stretch of Route 23 that would cause more traffic headaches.

The closure presents commuters with a Hobson’s choice of taking Route 80 westbound and cutting through Jefferson, or heading through West Milford to pick up either Gould Road, which by 5 p.m. was clogged, or Union Valley Road to get past the choke point.

Wednesday's fire is the second massive fire to rock the township in a month. On March 18, in the hills overlooking Greenwood Lake, another destructive fire injured two fire fighters and took a West Milford home.

In Teaneck, the fire department continued to monitor the woods south of Degraw Avenue, between the Teaneck Creek Conservancy and Overpeck Park, where crews had fought a five-alarm fire through the night.

While the flames were largely under control by 1 a.m., hot spots ignited as winds would blow through the smoldering brush, bringing crews back to once again douse the tinder.

Capt. Seth Kriegel − of the Teaneck Police Department − said the danger for "pop-up" fires could continue through the next two to three days. As of the afternoon, access to ramps for the Turnpike at Degraw Avenue had been reopened, but that may be reevaluated as new fires occur.

Down in the Pine Barrens, a wildfire that threatened homes in Lakehurst and Manchester had spread across 3,859 acres of private, state and federal land but was 75% contained as of 8:30 p.m. All evacuations were lifted, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.

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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Fire along Route 23 in West Milford NJ closes highway