A teenage boy is accused of deliberately starting a wildfire that destroyed more than 50 acres in Evesham Township, New Jersey, last month.

On October 30, around 1 p.m., Evesham Police responded to a brush fire in the area near Sycamore Drive and the Berlin Township border. Over the next few days, the fire burned through 52 hectares of land, although no buildings were damaged.

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Evesham police, Evesham firefighters and the New Jersey Forest Fire Service investigated the cause of the fire and determined it was arson. They then identified a 14-year-old boy from Marlton, New Jersey, as the person who deliberately set it up.

The teen was arrested on November 7, 2024 and charged with aggravated arson and causing or risking widespread injury or damage. He is currently in the Middlesex Juvenile Detention Center awaiting his first appearance. Officials are not releasing the teen’s identity due to his age.

Investigators also said the Oct. 30 fire may be related to another fire that occurred in the area of ​​Sycamore Drive on Nov. 7. The fire consumed 375 hectares before it could be brought under control. No structures were damaged.

If you have any information about either fire, please call Evesham Police at 856-983-1116. You can also leave a confidential tip by calling 856-983-4699, emailing [email protected] or texting ETPDTIP to 847411.

The fires were two of several wildfires that have ravaged New Jersey in recent weeks. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy issued a drought warning on Wednesday as conditions in the state are the driest in nearly 120 years, with numerous wildfires burning in places that have not received significant rain since August.

Gov. Phil Murphy’s statement asked people to take voluntary conservation measures such as taking shorter showers, turning off the tap while brushing teeth and waiting until the dishwasher is full to run it.

But there were no mandatory restrictions on water use, which would be imposed in case of drought, the highest alert the government can impose.

New Jersey is not yet at the point where communities are in danger of running out of water to drink or fight fires. And the state wants to prevent it from happening.

“Please take this seriously,” Murphy said. “We have a very dry winter ahead of us.”

Dry conditions in New Jersey and New York are a growing concern, not only for firefighting efforts, but also for the continued availability of drinking water.

Two major reservoirs in New Jersey were at 51% and 45% of capacity on Wednesday, enough to keep the water taps open but low enough to raise concerns about what might happen if there are further weeks or months of little rain . One river that is a supplementary source of drinking water was 14% of normal.

September and October were the driest two-month period on record in New Jersey. Since August, the state has received 2 inches of rain, when it should have received 0.3 feet.

There was no significant rainfall in the foreseeable forecast, officials said.