A chain of wildfires on South Mountain, just miles south of Shippensburg, have prompted authorities to issue an evacuation notice in Southampton Township.
Residents near Thompson Hollow Road and Three Turn road have been requested to evacuate to a base camp at 2460 Shippensburg Road.
Roadblocks have been set up at the intersection of Baltimore Road and Whitmer Road, as well as Shippensburg Road and Pine Grove Road.
The public has been asked to avoid the area for their safety as well as the safety of the firefighters battling the blaze.
The fire, located near the intersection of Thompson Hollow Road and Shippensburg Road, began around 5 p.m. Wednesday evening and has consumed over 200 acres.
"Fire behavior is expected to increase in intensity throughout the day," Michaux State Forest officials said Thursday morning. “Fire operations and road closures are expected to continue into the weekend.”
Two other wildfires rage on South Mountain. One fire near Hammonds Rocks in Dickinson Township has triggered Kings Gap Environmental Education Center to close early.
According to Friends of Pine Grove Furnace State Park, firefighting helicopters have been using Laurel Lake to fill their buckets. As of 4 p.m. Thursday night, they reported that at least 15 bucket-loads had been used to fight the fires.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
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