A New Jersey wildfire leaves 900 acres torched and dozens of structures in harm’s way
Firefighters are getting the upper hand on a wildfire that was out of control overnight, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said Monday,
At one point, the inferno was getting dangerously close to 100 structures, the fire service said. By Monday afternoon, the number of structures threatened had dropped to 30.
No injuries have been reported, and no structures have been damaged.
The wildfire near Little Egg Harbor Township was first spotted around 4 p.m. Sunday. It was burning in an area with limited accessibility inside Bass River State Forest, the fire service said.
The blaze was east of the Garden State Parkway and close to the Ocean and Burlington county lines.
To help protect some of the structures, fire personnel conducted burnout operations by setting small, controlled fires in some areas along Route 9, which is closed because of smoke.
The wildfire has scorched about 900 acres near Little Egg Harbor Township, a coastal township north of Atlantic City, the fire service posted on Facebook.
Voluntary evacuations were announced, and Pinelands Middle School is being used as a shelter, the post said.
The cause of the inferno was under investigation, fire Warden Rob Gill told CNN affiliate WPVI.
In New Jersey, peak wildfire season lasts from mid-March through May. Nearly all infernos are caused by accidents, negligence or arson, according to the state’s Environmental Protection Department.
Last year, wildfires torched about 4,800 acres in New Jersey.
