From the Atlantic City Press Published: Wednesday, October 22, 2008

The glow of fire illuminates smoke clouds at Atsion Lake in Shamong Township, N.J. on Tuesday. The forest fire burned through parts of three southern New Jersey counties Tuesday, engulfing hundreds of acres of forest and forcing the closure of Route 206. (AP Photo/Curt Hudson) Curt Hudson

10:30 a.m. Update - HAMMONTON — A fire in Wharton State Forest continued to spread Wednesday morning as Route 206 remained closed from Atsion Lake to the White Horse Pike and a handful of homes and businesses remained evacuated.

“Most of it is low ground, swampy, organic. It’ll tend to burn like a charcoal briquette,” said Bert Plante, division fire warden for the state Forest Fire Service, about 10 a.m.

The fire is growing beyond 1,000 acres, the approximate size of many forest fires in recent years, Plante said. Recently burned forest land is less at risk of damage in this blaze, the warden added.

Officials have not determined precisely where and why the fire began. Fire service helicopters are attempting to map the spread of the flames.



Wharton State Forest Fire Raw Footage 10/22/08

From the Atlantic City Press Published: Oct 20, 2008












Pomona Volunteer Fire Company dedicated its new firehouse Saturday. The festivities kicked off with a parade from Richard Stockton College's north parking lot south to Pomona Road and the White Horse Pike in Galloway Township. The building is located on Dante Avenue and the White Horse Pike - and many locals, including local politicians attended the afternoon ceremony.

Marion Leatherberry, of Galloway Township, talked with Congressman Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd, before the ceremony, while Mayor Tom Bassford hobnobbed with state Sen. Jim Whelan, D-Atlantic.

But politicians weren't the only people in attendance - families lined up to watch the parade, and firefighters dressed in their best blues. Even a row of trophies seemed to stand at attention. Firefighter Jack Hewitt, meanwhile, was all business, guiding fire engines backing up to the new station.

From the Atlantic City Press Published: Saturday, October 18, 2008

By REGINA SCHAFFER Staff Writer, 609-272-7211

A Hammonton man can be charged for allegedly setting fire to an abandoned house on the White Horse Pike in Winslow Township in 2005, an appellate panel ruled Friday.

In December 2007, Camden County Superior Court Judge William Cook threw out the charge that Samuel Siligato, 58, set fire to an abandoned house at 750 S. White Horse Pike. The dismissal followed a motion by Siligato's attorney, claiming the arson charge should have been joined with other witness-tampering charges in a single indictment.

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From the Atlantic City Press Published: Wednesday, October 15, 2008

By ERIC SCOTT CAMPBELL Staff Writer, 609-272-7227








HAMMONTON - A car that had pulled around railroad gates at the Bellevue Avenue crossing was struck Tuesday by a westbound NJ Transit train, injuring the driver and his dog, town police said.

The accident happened just before 1 p.m. Anthony Daversa, of Glenolden, Pa., was pulled from his vehicle and flown by helicopter to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, City Campus, in Atlantic City, where he was listed in fair condition three hours after the accident. Hammonton Police Chief Frank Ingemi said Daversa was thought to have facial and internal injuries.

Train 4614 left Atlantic City at 12:21 p.m. and was scheduled to stop at 12:50 p.m. in Hammonton, a few blocks before Bellevue Avenue. The gates, lights and bells at the crossing were working normally at the time of the accident, NJ Transit spokesman Joe Dee said.

Ingemi said it appeared the vehicle was headed west on South Egg Harbor Road and that Daversa made a left turn around the gate to cross the tracks. Daversa's vehicle was not identified.

The driver's small dog was seriously injured. A Hammonton police officer took it for treatment at Shore Veterinarian in town.

The undamaged train resumed its trip at 2:10 p.m., Dee said, and none of the 73 passengers in its four coaches was injured.

The train accident was at least the second of the day in New Jersey. At about 9 a.m., a train on the Raritan Valley line in Union County struck and killed an unidentified person whom NJ Transit described as trespassing on the tracks. That train was delayed for 90 minutes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

E-mail Eric Scott Campbell: ECampbell@pressofac.com

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From the Atlantic City Press Published: Friday, October 10, 2008

By MICHELLE LEE Staff Writer, 609-272-7256

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP - After arguing for a half-hour about the recent bidding process for a new fire truck, the Egg Harbor Township Fire Department and Township Committee agreed to reject the result and start over.

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From the Atlantic City Press Published: Wednesday, October 01, 2008

By STEVEN LEMONGELLO Staff Writer, 609-272-7275

Published: Wednesday, October 01, 2008 GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP - One woman is confirmed dead and three people injured in an eight-vehicle accident that left a scene of carnage across a large swath of the White Horse Pike on Tuesday afternoon.

The accident, which police said happened at about 4:25 p.m., took place directly in front of Al's Custard Stand at Route 30 and Frankfurt Avenue. What appeared to be a gray Jeep was nearly obliterated, with parts scattered across all four lanes and a side mirror thrown all the way into the Al's parking lot. A red pickup truck was flipped upside down just to the west of the Jeep, and beyond that was a minivan that had crashed into a pole.

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