Hundreds of acres burn in New Jersey Pinelands at peak wildfire season, closing key road and trails

Hundreds of acres burned in New Jersey’s Wharton State Forest on Wednesday, forcing officials to temporarily close a key road that runs through two counties within the Pinelands region.

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service said crews were on the scene. A major wildfire exceeds 100 acres. Officials said that as of 8 p.m. the fire had reached 400 acres and that crews had 75% of it contained.

The fire began burning off Jackson Road, west of Atsion Road, and impacted Waterford Township in Camden County and Shamong Township in Burlington County. Officials began notifying the public about 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday and are calling the blaze the County Line Wildfire. Fires are named in New Jersey after locations where they break out.

About four miles of Jackson Road, a major local artery, were closed from Tremont Avenue to Atsion Road. Goshen Campground was evacuated and closed, along with multiple trails.

Jackson Road was reopened at 6 p.m.

Fire Service crews were using back-burning, a technique that uses deliberately set fires to contain fires by burning fuel the wildfire needs to expand.

The fire came a day after state officials sent a notice that there was an elevated risk for the spread of wildfires. In addition, the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly office also issued a special statement about the elevated risk for the wildfires throughout the state.

Officials attribute the growing risk to a low relative humidity of between 25% and 30%, south winds of 10 to 15 mph, with gusts to over 20 mph. Those conditions include an increase in drying fuel, such as dead wood and leaves on the ground. Conditions worsened Wednesday following a cold front, but could abate if it rains.

The weather forecast calls for partly cloudy conditions Thursday, a high in the mid-50s and a low chance of isolated showers. No other rain is forecast for the next few days. Although April started off wet, it has been mostly dry for several weeks.

The entire state was listed Wednesday by the Fire Service as at high risk. Each year, an average of 1,500 wildfires burn 7,000 acres of New Jersey’s forests. Officials say they are an increasing threat to home and business owners who live near forests and urge people to be careful while using any sources that could spark a fire, including machinery, cigarettes, and matches. Fire that ignites in dry grass and tree debris has potential to spread quickly.

Last year, the Jimmy’s Waterhole Fire tore through 3,859 acres of heavily forested Southern New Jersey in Manchester Township, Ocean County, initially threatening scores of buildings before being brought under control. No one was injured.

And a wildfire in 2022 grew to 13,500 acres, the state’s biggest since 2007. That fire also started in Wharton State Forest, forcing the closure of major recreation areas within the 1.1 million-acre Pinelands National Reserve.

Fires are, however, a natural part of the pine forest cycle. They clear out excess brush and many pitch pines, the main species of the Pinelands, have serotinous cones that release their seeds when exposed to heat. The forest become a threat when they near homes, businesses, and people.