1963 — April 20-22, Forest Fires, NJ — 6-7

1963 — April 20-22, Forest Fires, NJ — 6-7

–6-7 Blanchard. Hughes notes seven; we find press reporting on six deaths.

–7 Hughes. “New Jersey, April 1963: Can It Happen Again?” Fire Management, 63/4, Fall 2003, p
–6 UPI. “N.J. Forests, Parks Banned To Campers.” Bristol Daily Courier, PA. 4-23-1963, p. 1.
Breakout of Fatalities by Locality:
–1 Coyle Field area, Route 72. Volunteer fireman; his truck hits State truck; smoky visibility.
–1 Eatontown. Volunteer firefighter fell ill fighting fire in thick smoke; died 12-hours later.
–3 Jackson Twp. Home burned; Mrs. Alice Max Queen, 59, daughter, Alice, 19, son Estibell, 29.
–1 Newtonville. Stanley Kirkillos, 68, found burned to death behind his home.

Narrative Information

Hughes: “Whenever New Jersey residents discuss large forest fires, the discussion invariably ends up with what happened in April 1963….

“The purpose of this case study is to take a look at what actually happened during April 20-22, 1963….

“New Jersey, along with most of the East, had experienced severe drought conditions prior to April 20, 1963….In addition to the dryness, wind conditions played a primary role in thee havoc that followed. At 9 a.m., wind speeds in a wooded area near the ground were clocked at 12 miles per hour…However, in openings and above treetops velocities averaged 30 to 40 miles per hour…with gusts of more than 50 miles per hour….

“Several of the fires that reached major proportions started as early as 9 a.m. [Apr 20]….As the day progressed numerous other fires began to break out throughout the State. Many of the fires burned into the night and through the next day without containment or control. Needless to say, State, county, and municipal firefighting forces were overwhelmed. Reports of large amounts of structural damage began to come in, and some deaths were reported.

“Many outside communities, wanting to help in whatever way possible, sent all kinds of equipment and volunteers…hook and ladder and street cleaning trucks came from Philadelphia. Unfortunately, these just added to the chaos and confusion. One volunteer fireman was killed when his truck ran into a State struck in the smoke of Route 72, near Coyle Field, on the 76,000-acre…fire.

“A total of 28 major fires (fires of more than 100 acres)…burned on April 20 along with 51 smaller fires…the single worst day for forest fires in New Jersey since record keeping began in 1906….Moreover, the worst fire disaster in the State’s history did not end on April 20. When April 21 dawned, all of South and Central Jersey was under a thick layer of smoke…most fires were still burning out of control. The problem was compounded by fires continuing to break out. Twenty-six new fires occurred on April 21, including two major fires in Gloucester County….On Monday, April 22, there were 22 new fires….

“During the 3-day period, there were a total of 127 forest fires, 31 of which reached major status. The acreage burned was 190,300 acres…Nearly 4 percent of the entire land area of the State was burned during the 3-day ordeal. Twenty-eight percent of the entire forest acreage burned in the Northeastern States in 1963 occurred in New Jersey….seven persons had been killed including a family in Jackson Township, and the fireman previously mentioned….” (Hughes, Joseph. “New Jersey, April 1963: Can It Happen Again?” Fire Management Today, Volume 63, No. 4, Fall 2003, pp. 40-44.)

Sources

Hughes, Joseph. “New Jersey, April 1963: Can It Happen Again?” Fire Management Today, Volume 63, No. 4, Fall 2003, pp. 40-44.

Red Bank Register, NJ. “Fireman Fatally Stricken.” 4-22-1963, p. 1. Accessed 8-1-2022 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/red-bank-register-apr-22-1963-p-1/

Red Bank Register, NJ. “Fires (continued from page 1).” 4-23-1963, p. 2. Accessed 8-1-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/red-bank-register-apr-23-1963-p-2/

Red Bank Register, NJ. “State Counts 4 Dead, 257 Buildings Burned.” 4-22-1963, pp. 1 and 3. Accessed 8-1-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/red-bank-register-apr-22-1963-p-1/

UPI (United Press International). “N.J. Forests, Parks Banned To Campers.” Bristol Daily Courier, PA. 4-23-1963, p. 1. Accessed 8-1-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/bristol-daily-courier-apr-23-1963-p-1/