Still Smelling Wildfire Smoke Around Lacey? Here's Why

LACEY, NJ — The weekend wildfire that reached 831 acres in size has been fully contained. No structures are threatened and the danger is gone. But upon leaving your house, you may still notice a smoky atmosphere and smell burning. Why?

The fire is contained to one area, yes, but it is still burning. And it will continue to do so until there is significant rainfall, according to forest fire officials.

There is a chance for rain and thunderstorms Thursday and Friday, which may help put out the fire.

So, you can expect to continue to see these conditions for a while. And depending on the weather, you may be smelling smoke even further away from the site.

"There are many factors to smoke travel including wind direction and humidity," the Forest Fire Service previously told Patch. "The New Jersey Forest Fire Service does not track how far the smoke from New Jersey wildfires travel, however, it is not uncommon to smell wildfire smoke many miles away from the source."

The air quality in Forked River Thursday is moderate but is expected to be good on Friday, according to AirNow, so there are no concerns about breathing in particles unless you are already sensitive.

And in the mean time, there are still officials at the fire keeping it under control.

"Forest Fire Service staff will remain on scene and continue to monitor control lines and address areas of concern until significant precipitation occurs to ensure public safety," officials said Monday night.