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A wildfire burning through pine lands in southern New Jersey could become the state’s largest fire in 15 years, officials said Monday.
The Mulika River fire has nearly tripled to 11,000 acres since Sunday morning and has been contained 50 percent, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Department (NJFFS). No casualties were reported, but the fire threatened at least 18 structures in the Wharton Forest area, including the historic site of the village of Batsto. Wharton State Forest is part of an ecosystem known as Pine Barrens, about 20 miles northwest of Atlantic City.
Officials ruled out natural causes, and New Jersey Environment Commissioner Sean M. Laturet said the fire could have been avoided.
“It reminds me of the imperative we all share, to take care of the environment and each other, to follow the rules,” he told a news conference on Monday. LaTourette did not say whether investigators had identified the cause, but said it was generally talking about issues including campfire maintenance and other activities that are usually the cause of man-made fires.
There were no restrictions on burning before the fire broke out Sunday morning, officials said.
Until Monday, firefighters battled the blaze in four towns – Washington, Shamong, Hamonton and Malika – after dry and ventilated conditions helped the blaze spread, according to NJFFS.
Authorities said the wind was hampering efforts to release water from helicopters, while areas along the Mulika River – which the fire skipped twice – were too wet for equipment to enter, but not wet enough to stop the fire.
The fire service said the crews are working to control the blaze with firefighting operations, a firefighting tactic in which fires are deliberately placed on the inside edge of a fire line to burn fuel on the way to a wildfire so as not to expands.
Fire crews are focusing their efforts on conserving structures at Wharton Forest Campgrounds and the village of Batsto, a historic site in Washington, D.C., according to Larry Heina, a spokeswoman for the New Jersey Department of the Environment. The wildfire forced the two closures, including parts of US Route 206, a north-south road artery.
“The fire is in the southern part of the state forest, which runs along the state highway, Route 206, which is also close to forests where there are no private homes that are in immediate danger,” Heina told The Washington Post.
The vast Wharton State Forest is home to various outdoor recreation areas that were closed on Monday as a result of the fire.
Unlike California, where more than 10,000 structures were damaged or destroyed during the historic 2020 wildfire season, New Jersey wildfires typically occur in wooded, sparsely populated wooded areas, according to the U.S. Department of State. for environmental protection.
In 2019, a fire in Spring Hill burned 11,638 acres of southeastern pine land in a remote part of the state of Penn, in Burlington County. The largest in New Jersey was the Warren Grove fire in May 2007, which ignited after a flare was fired during a military bombing at the Warren Grove bombing range. This continued to burn 17,000 acres in the Pine Barrens area.
“Boy, this is the worst I’ve ever seen,” New Jersey resident Spike Wells said of the latest fire as he spoke to Asbury Park Press on Monday. The 71-year-old Wales lives about two miles from where authorities blocked road 206 and runs a nearby sawmill.
“We’ve seen a lot of them,” Wales said. “Every year they have forest fires, but not like that. Its terrible.”
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