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A forest fire burning southern New Jersey pine lands could become the largest fire in the state in 15 years, officials said Monday.
The Mullica River fire, which began on Sunday, has grown to 12,000 acres and has been contained by 70 percent, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS). No injuries were reported, but the fire threatens at least 18 structures in the Wharton State Forest area, including the historic Batsto Village site. Wharton State Forest is located in the middle of an ecosystem known as Pine Barrens, about 20 miles northwest of Atlantic City.
Officials ruled out natural causes, and New Jersey Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette said the fire could have been avoided.
“It reminds me of the imperative that we all share, caring for the environment and others, following the rules,” he told a news conference on Monday. LaTourette did not say whether investigators had determined a cause, but said he was generally talking about issues such as maintaining bonfires and other activities that are often the cause of man-made fires.
There were no burning restrictions before the fire broke out Sunday morning, officials said.
On Monday, firefighters were fighting the blaze in four municipalities (Washington, Shamong, Hammonton and Mullica) after dry, windy conditions helped spread the fire, according to the NJFFS.
Authorities said the wind was hampering efforts to drop water from helicopters while areas along the Mullica River, which was blown twice by fire, were too wet for equipment to enter, but not wet enough to stop. the fire.
The fire department said crews were working to contain the blaze with firefighting operations, a firefighting tactic in which fires are intentionally lit along the inner edge of a line of fire to burn fuel. in the way of the forest fire so that it does not expand.
According to Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, fire crews are focusing their efforts on protecting the structures of the Wharton State Forest Campgrounds and Batsto Village, a historic site in Washington Township. The wildfire forced both closures, including parts of U.S. Route 206, a north-south route.
“The fire is in the southern section of the state forest along a state highway, Route 206, which is also near forests where there are no private homes that are in immediate danger,” Hajna told The Washington Post .
The vast Wharton State Forest is home to several outdoor recreation areas that were closed on Monday as a result of the fire.
Unlike California, which saw more than 10,000 structures damaged or destroyed during its historic wildfire season in 2020, wildfires in New Jersey typically occur in wooded areas less populated by residences, according to the Department of Protection of the State Environment.
In 2019, the Spring Hill fire burned 11,638 acres of southeastern pine land in a remote section of Penn State Forest in Burlington County. The largest in New Jersey was the May 2007 Warren Grove forest fire that broke out after a flare was fired during a military bombing exercise at the Warren Grove bombing camp. This burned 17,000 acres in the Pine Barrens area.
“Boy, it’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” New Jersey resident Spike Wells said of the latest fire as he spoke Monday at Asbury Park Press. Wells, 71, lives about two miles from where officials have blocked Route 206 and operates a nearby sawmill.
“We’ve seen a lot of them,” Wells said. “Every year they have some forest fires, but not like this one. I’ts horrible.”