Crews battling 2 wildfires in New Jersey, where conditions are driest in nearly 120 years

JACKSON, N.J. (AP) — A forest fire in a Philadelphia suburb was threatening homes Thursday in what officials called the driest conditions in nearly 120 years.

Another fire about an hour away in Jackson Township was less than half contained when the blaze broke out in Evesham, threatening 50 homes, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said. It could not immediately give a size estimate for the Evesham blaze.

“This is the driest we've been in the agency's history,” said Jeremy Webber, a supervising fire warden with the Fire Service, which was established in 1906.

Lack of significant rainfall since August contributed to the dry conditions, which prompted the state to impose strict restrictions on outdoor fires.

Details about the Evesham fire were scarce Thursday morning, as the fire had only recently been reported. The fire service said the 50 threatened homes have not needed to be evacuated yet.

The fire in Jackson, in the central portion of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, had grown to less than half a square mile (1.2 square kilometers) and was 40% contained as of mid-morning Thursday, said Deale Carey, incident commander for the fire service.

He said conditions were so dry that new spot fires were continuously breaking out as wind-blown leaves fall onto burning or smoldering areas.

About 25 homes were evacuated near the Jackson fire, although residents were permitted to return Wednesday night.

Joann Bertone lives near that fire, and described animal and horse owners scrambling to arrange trailers to carry them to safety.

“It was extremely scary,” she said. “I was up all night. It was nerve-wracking.”

The causes of both fires remain under investigation.

Dry conditions have helped spark many wildfires in New Jersey in recent weeks. Since Nov. 1 the state has seen 102 forest or wildfires that burned less than a square mile (less than 2 square kilometers), the fire service said. The state has not seen significant rain in over a month, and that trend was expected to continue for at least the next few days.

Not even some promised rain Sunday night into Monday was expected to make much of a difference, Webber said.

“We're going to need inches of rain, not just one or two,” he said.

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This photo provided by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection firefighters respond to a forest fire on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 in Evesham, N.J. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

This photo provided by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection smoke fills the air from a forest fire on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 in Evesham, N.J. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

This photo provided by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection firefighters respond to a forest fire on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 in Evesham, N.J. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

This photo provided by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection smoke fills the air from a forest fire on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 in Evesham, N.J. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

This photo provided by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection smoke and fire fills the air from a forest fire on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 in Evesham, N.J. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

This photo provided by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection firefighters respond to a forest fire on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 in Evesham, N.J. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

This photo provided by NJ Department of Environmental Protection. a firefighter is silhouetted against a forest fire on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 in Evesham, N.J. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)(NJ Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

Smoke from a forest fire rises above the trees in Evesham,N.J. on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, when firefighters said conditions were the driest in New Jersey in nearly 120 years. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey had surgery on his left leg, a day after breaking his fibula in a collision during a win over the Orlando Magic.

The Pistons said Thursday that Ivey will be reevaluated in four weeks.

“I promise to come back even better,” Ivey wrote in a social media post. “The recovery starts now #DetroitBasketball.”

Detroit drafted Ivey with the No. 5 overall pick in 2022 and the former Purdue star was having a breakout year. Ivey averaged 17.6 points and 4.1 rebounds — both career highs — along with four assists in 30 games this season.

He was injured when Orlando’s Cole Anthony slipped and fell as he and Ivey went for the ball. Anthony’s momentum carried him into Ivey’s planted leg, knocking Ivey to the floor. The 22-year-old Ivey was in obvious distress as he grabbed for his shin, and the team's medical staff quickly attended to him.

Members of the training staff held up towels to block the crowd’s view of the injury and players from both teams formed a circle around him. After a lengthy delay, he was loaded onto a stretcher and wheeled out of the arena with a towel covering the injury.

“It is tough for all of us,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after Detroit’s 105-96 victory. “There’s no better person or teammate than J.I. and no one cares more about this than he does."

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Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey, right, drives to the basket as Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Teammates look over Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) after an incident during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Detroit. Ivey was carted off the court by stretcher. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)