Lacey Wildfire Caused By Plane Crash, Officials Confirm

LACEY, NJ — The weekend's 831-acre wildfire in Lacey Township was confirmed to have been caused by an airplane crash, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said Wednesday.

The Forest Fire Service was first dispatched to the Greenwood Wildlife Management Area west of the Robert J. Miller Airpark and Ocean County Airport for a smoke investigation at 11:40 p.m. Saturday.

Personnel noticed smoke and ash falling from the sky, leading them to search a remote forested area on foot, officials said.

They then discovered a wildfire in excess of 25 acres in the middle of a dense section of forest, officials said.

"The initial responding Forest Firewarden subsequently found the wreckage of a small aircraft within the wildfire perimeter," officials said.

The single-engine Cirrus SR20, which left Monmouth Executive Airport in Wall, crashed at 10:18 p.m., a spokesperson from the National Transportation Safety Board told Patch.

Oscar Molina, 61, of Long Branch, was the pilot and only person on board, according to Lacey police. He was killed in the crash. Read more: Deceased NJ Pilot In Crash Linked To Wildfire Identified: Police

The fire was fully contained as of Tuesday morning, but officials warned locals to expect a "strong smell of smoke" east of the Garden State Parkway from Stafford to Lakewood as a result of the fire. These conditions are likely to remain until there is significant rain over the region.

The NTSB is still conducting a full investigation into the crash.