Wildfire caused by deadly plane crash in New Jersey mostly contained Monday, officials said
The pilot of the plane — and lone passenger — was killed in the crash.
A wildfire that was likely sparked by a small plane crash in Ocean County, N.J., Saturday night nearly tripled in size but was mostly contained by Monday afternoon.
The blaze, first reported near the Ocean County Airport on Saturday evening after the crash, swelled to 831 acres but no longer threatened any structures by Monday evening, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. Officials said they had about 90% of the wildfire contained.
There have been no evacuation orders, but the fire has forced the closure of Robert J. Miller Airpark and sections of two nearby roads — Dover Road and Mule Road. Both roads remained closed Monday evening to thru traffic, but they have been reopened for local traffic.
Crews have made “substantial progress” containing the fire, the service said Monday. “Forest Fire Service crews continue to remain on scene and will patrol and continue to improve containment lines throughout the night.”
It’s been a busy season for members of the Forest Fire Service. Two weeks ago, crews fought back a blaze that spread to 1,500 acres of woodlands in Camden and Burlington Counties, near the now-defunct Atco Dragway. The fire service considers blazes that exceed 100 acres “major wildfires.” Last year, a wildfire in Wharton State Forest swelled into New Jersey’s largest blaze in 15 years, burning about 15,000 acres before it was fully contained.
The pilot of the plane — the only passenger on board and who has yet to be identified — was killed in the crash, the Lacey Township Police Department confirmed Sunday afternoon.
The plane, a single-engine Cirrus SR20, crashed around 10:18 p.m. Saturday about half a mile southwest of the Ocean County Airport in Lacey Township. The plane had taken off from Monmouth Executive Airport in Farmingdale, N.J.
It remains unclear what led to the crash. Still, Brian Rayner, a senior safety investigator at the National Transportation Safety Board, said at a news conference Sunday he did not believe weather was a factor, noting winds were calm and conditions clear Saturday night.