New Jersey, 2001

Wildfire in New Jersey, May 14 to 15, 2001

May 14 to 15, 2001 · NWS PHI · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A wildfire began during the evening of the 14th in Millville near the T-Fal Plant off of New Jersey State Route 55. State Route 55 was closed between State Routes 49 and 47 through the early morning of the 15th.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS PHI wrote it up.

A wildfire began during the evening of the 14th in Millville near the T-Fal Plant off of New Jersey State Route 55. State Route 55 was closed between State Routes 49 and 47 through the early morning of the 15th. Backfires were lit near the route to prevent the fire from jumping the road. About 35 acres were consumed before the fire was brought under control at 5 a.m. EDT on the 15th.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 14, 2:08 PM EST, 5 hours 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 14, 2:08 PM EST, 5 hours 22 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
308 PM EDT MON MAY 14 2001

MID LVL LOW CUTS OFF AND MEANDERS INTO TMRW AROUND THE SRN NEW
ENGLAND COAST...THEN FCST TO LIFT AWAY AS UPPER JET PRESENTLY TO W
OF OUR FA BOTTOMS OUT IN LOW TO OUR SE. UNTIL THEN AN IMPULSE OR TWO
CAN SHOOT AROUND THE W SIDE BUT LOW LEVELS REMAIN DRY. PRESENT WK
IMPULSE IS KICKING OFF VIRGA ATTIM IN FAIRLY UNSTABLE AIR BUT VERY
LTL IS REACHING THE GROUND. BY TMRW WE WILL LOSE THE INSTABILITY.
THEREFORE WILL ACCOUNT FOR SOME MAINLY EVENING CLOUDS...THEN GO WITH
THE CONTINUATION OF A DRY FORECAST. BY WED A SFC RIDGE SHOULD
ESTABLISH ITSELF OVER FA...AND THE FLOW MAY BECOME MORE MARINE.
TEMPS THAT DAY THEREFORE DO NOT REFLECT ANY KIND OF WARMUP COMPARED
TO TOMORROW...BUT TEMPS TOMORROW JUST A BIT HIGHER THAN TODAY GIVEN
H8 TEMPS AND LOCAL SCHEMES. NOT A LOT OF FINESSE ON NIGHTTIME
TEMPS...THO DID SEPARATE THE RADIATING ZONES FOR TONIGHT AND
TOMORROW. RADIATING CONDITIONS NOT IDEAL...BUT AIR AND GROUND ARE
PRETTY DRY.

.PHI...NONE.

MPD

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Cumberland

When
May 14, 7:30 PM EST to May 15, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Cumberland County, Millville
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.328, -75.129 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Wildfire
A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New Jersey in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, May 2001

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5244705.