DUI Lawyers in Waterford, NJ

The site of Sunday’s large fire at a Waterford mulch plant is owned by a current township committeeman who has been cited by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for previous issues following a fire in 2020, state records show.

Waterford Township Committeeman Andrew Wade, who owns 209 Chip, a mulch facility on Jackson Road, has received a total of 12 citations from the Department of Environmental Protection over the past 15 years, according to NJDEP records.

He also has a pending lawsuit against the township’s volunteer fire department, claiming they left his business burning during a fire 5 years ago after they ran out of water.

“This resulted in a two day fire which destroyed my mulch facility and causing various NJDEP violations and fine,” Wade said in the complaint.

Wade declined to comment on the lawsuit Thursday afternoon and did not answer questions about any other fires at the business. He did not immediately return a follow-up email with questions about citations from the NJDEP.

Waterford denies Wade’s accusations and said the Waterford Township Volunteer Fire Department responded to the fire in 2020 over two days, court documents show.

“A diligent effort to fight the fire over two days involving dozens of fire department personnel from multiple fire departments and pieces of equipment was devoted to this incident,” attorneys for Waterford said in response to Wade’s accusations.

Sunday’s fire at the facility broke out around 4:15 p.m. at the company’s location on Jackson Road in the Atco section of Waterford. The blaze grew to 15 acres after high winds blew the fire into an adjacent field causing 50 homes to voluntarily evacuate.

The fire was contained to the facility Monday morning and no one has been injured in the fire, according to officials.

Wade served as mayor of Waterford in 2021 and 2022 and was first elected to the township committee in 2018, minutes from past committee meetings show. He served as deputy mayor in 2023, according to committee meeting minutes.

Wade was elected to his third three-year term on the township committee in 2024.

State records show Wade was cited at least three times since 2010, and as recently, as 2023 for failing to have a Solid Waste Permit for the mulching facility he owns, according to state records.

The facility was also cited for accepting asphalt millings and treated utility poles, records show.

The NJDEP cited Wade on Jan. 12, 2022 for failing to immediately notify the agency about contaminants released into the air in the Nov. 8, 2020 fire, state records show.

Five months later, Wade’s company was issued three more citations and a $20,000 fine from the NJDEP that superseded violations from January 2021, state records show.

Wade was cited for failing to handle recycled materials in a manner that considers public health, including having mulch piles that exceeded 20 feet, failing to obtain a Solid Waste Permit for the facility, and exceeding a 7,500 cubic yard limit for the facility, records show.

A hearing was requested for those citations on June 20, 2022 and the NJDEP has not received any payment, but the violation status is listed as “satisfied” for all three, according to state records.

In January 2023, two more citations were issued for failing to have proper permits and storing tree limbs, branches and trunks on the property for more than one year, state records show.

All but two violations have been satisfied, according to state records.

In the civil lawsuit Wade is seeking damages for loss of business revenue, emotional distress and fines and violations.

“The fire department ran out of water and left the fire and my business burning,” Wade said in the civil complaint.

The complaint also states that no one returned until the following morning.

Waterford officials did not immediately return a request for comment.

A trial scheduled for March 24 was rescheduled for April, and a July 7 trial date was rescheduled on April 23, according to court records.

Sunday’s fire closed Jackson Road on Monday morning between Anderson Avenue and Hopewell Road as firefighters continued fighting the blaze, officials said.

Camden County officials asked nearby residents to remain in their homes Monday due to smoky conditions and poor air quality.

Wade told NJ Advance Media Thursday afternoon that only a few hotspots remained. He said he did not know how the fire started.

No cause for the fire has been offered by officials as of Monday afternoon.

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Matthew Enuco may be reached at Menuco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Matt on X

Firefighters got the upper hand on the largest wildfire of the season so far in New Jersey’s Wharton State Forest after winds that had helped fuel the wildfire subsided on Sunday.

The California Branch Wildfire started burning early Saturday afternoon around Raritan Avenue and Old Atsion Road in Waterford. It was spotted from the Blue Anchor fire tower. Whipped by winds out of the west gusting over 25 mph the fire spread quickly and was visible on weather radar blowing smoke to the east towards Long Beach Island.

The fire crossed the Mullica River and burned into Shamong Township on Saturday night.

After a cold front passed early Sunday winds decreased to 10 mph and switched direction out of the north-northwest. A quarter-inch of rain fell Sunday night and Monday morning, according to New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow.

The fire was declared 100% contained Monday morning after burning 2,336 acres. A smoky smell from the fire could linger in areas of Ocean County.

Active wildfire season

Both the Atsion and Goshen Pond campgrounds in Wharton State Forest were evacuated out of an abundance of caution but were reopened on Monday. The fire had threatened 18 structures.

The Forest Fire Service warned that it could be a busy wildfire season with around 400 wildfires already this year including four major fires.

Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette says that despite several heavy rains and snowfalls over the winter, New Jersey is still under a drought warning entering peak wildfire season. People must continue to be vigilant about their water use and the disposal of smoking materials that could easily spark a wildfire.

If the season continues to be busy and drought conditions continue LaTourette said that water restrictions could be put back in place later in the spring. The immediate forecast looks good in terms of much-needed precipitation.

"When all is said and done, over the next seven to 10 days, we could pick up a solid 1 to 2 inches of total rainfall across New Jersey. Great news and great drought improvements," Zarrow said.

Chris Coleman contributed to this report

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