A 14-year-old boy was arrested last week for allegedly starting a forest fire in New Jersey that destroyed 52 acres as an intentional act of arson, according to police.
Evesham police said Wednesday that they are looking into whether the teen from Marlton, NJ, may have started an even bigger fire on October 30. The fire burned through an area near Sycamore Drive and the border with Berlin Township over several days.
Evesham police, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, and Evesham firefighters fought the fire for several days and were able to put it out before any buildings were damaged, according to a press release from the police department.
After starting an investigation into the fire, the departments quickly found signs that the flames were set on purpose.
The teen, whose name the police did not give out because of his age, was then named as a suspect.
He was arrested without a fight on November 7 and charged with aggravated arson and causing or threatening to cause widespread harm or damage. He was taken to the Middlesex Juvenile Detention Center until his first court date.
A 375-acre fire started in the same area near Sycamore Drive on the same day he was arrested. Police are looking into whether this fire is linked to the one on October 30. Firefighters put out the fire after fighting it for several days.
In New York and New Jersey, forest fires have burned through several areas in the past few weeks, when record-breaking dry weather and strong winds hit the area.
On Saturday, an 18-year-old New York parks worker died while putting out a wildfire that crossed both states.
People in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts are being warned about fire weather.
The National Weather Service has sent a “Red Flag Warning” to New York City because tree fires are more likely to happen.
In another part of New York and New Jersey, firefighters are having a hard time putting out a huge forest fire that has spread to more than 7,000 acres and is close to the eastern edge of Greenwood Lake.
The fire, which was called the Jennings Creek fire, was only 30% contained by Wednesday afternoon.
The most recent fire to start on Wednesday afternoon was in Manhattan’s Inwood Hill Park. It sent thick smoke high above the city skyline.
