PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Fire crews in South Jersey contained a 418-acre wildfire that ignited Tuesday afternoon.
It started around noon in a remote area of Little Egg Harbor Township.
New Jersey Forest Fire Service Chief Greg McLaughlin said it was spotted by a fire tower in the Stafford Forge Wildlife Management Area.
"Crews were not able to get into exactly where the fire was," he said. "The area was remote and inaccessible to our off-road engines."
Crews used the 30 mph winds to their advantage. Predicting where the fire would spread, they started burning vegetation ahead of the wildfire flames.
At one point, 16 homes were in the path of the wildfire, but firefighters were able to provide protection. Many nearby streams also helped slow the fire, allowing officials more time to put the flames out.
No one was injured or evacuated. In all, 418 acres were burned in an area that firefighters recently treated in Ocean County.
With the cause of the fire still under investigation, McLaughlin reminded the public that the region is approaching spring wildfire season.
"New Jersey is 50% forested. We have 4 million acres of forest. We want people to go out and have a good time, but they need to be careful and know when fire season is here," he said.
