New Jersey

Vacant Christmas Tree Farm Looking for Buyer Catches Fire in South Jersey Overnight

What to Know

  • A passerby called 911 around 4 a.m. alerting first responders of a fire at a vacant Christmas tree farm along Route 206.
  • The heat and humidity made the situation more difficult and led to crews piling in from surrounding towns.
  • The flames were under control around 5 a.m. Tuesday morning.

A three-alarm fire burned at a vacant Christmas tree farm in Burlington County, New Jersey, early Tuesday, causing a major road in the area to be closed for hours.

Around 4 a.m., a passerby alerted first responders to a large fire at 2881 Route 206 in Columbus, New Jersey. The incident occurred less than a mile down the road from the famous Columbus Farmers Market.

Upon arrival, the entire farmhouse was up in flames, but the fire had not spread to other structures on the property

Firefighters were not only fighting the quickly growing flames, but tough weather conditions.

"The heat plays a major factor, the humidity," Jacksonville Fire Company Chief Thomas Klimkowski said. "That’s why we called in a third alarm for manpower so we could relieve some guys to get into rehab. Get some water in them, get some fluids in them, cool down a little bit." 

Firefighters from surrounding towns teamed up to bring the fire under control around 5 a.m. The building's structure was not completely destroyed.

Into the morning rush, a southbound lane of Route 206 remained closed near the scene of the fire.

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