NJ Wildfire May Have Been Caused By 'Illegal Campfire,' Official Says

SOUTH JERSEY — An "illegal, unattended campfire" may have started the wildfire that has so far consumed thousands of acres in the Wharton State Forest, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported at a news conference on Tuesday.

Officials had previously ruled out a natural cause such as lightning, according to Greg McLaughlin, Chief of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.

"There are no there are no power lines, no transmission lines in the area within the origin of the fire," McLaughlin said. "In very close proximity to the origin of the fire we did find an illegal unattended campfire. That's the cause that we're investigating now."

"This was not at a designated campsite where [a campfire] would have been permitted," McLaughlin continued. "This was in a remote area of the forest that was essentially from what we can tell from the evidence that remains to just be a makeshift fire."

The fire may have also been started by a kayaker, hiker, canoer or biker passing through, McLaughlin added.

The fire, which is within Wharton State Forest and the communities of Washington, Shamong, Mullica and Hammonton Townships, is 13,500 acres in size and 95 percent contained, authorities said at about 5 p.m. Tuesday.

U.S. Route 206 from Chew Road to Atsion Road and County Route 542 from Green Bank Road to Columbia Road reopened Tuesday, authorities said.

The 18 structures threatened by the wildfire are still safe and still being protected by fire departments from Burlington and Atlantic counties, according to authorities.

The recreational areas listed below remain closed, authorities said.

• Batsto Village
• Batsto Village's hiking and mountain bike trails
• Atsion Recreation Area
• Mullica River Campground
• Lower Forge Campground
• Mullica River Trail
• Atsion Recreation Area to Batsto Village boat launches located along the Mullica River
• Pinelands Adventures' kayak and canoe trips

All areas but the hiking trails may reopen Wednesday, authorities said.

The wildfire could also be contained by Wednesday, authorities said.

Even if it is, the 75 firefighters, 22 engines and other first responders will remain at the scene for some time, according to McLaughlin.

"They will continue to be there for several days if not a week or until we get significant rainfall to cool this fire," he said. "There will still be a lot of smoke that's being produced from ... any unburned fuels that may ignite that are within the perimeter of that containment area."

The wildfire, which authorities are now calling the Mullica River Fire, is the largest in New Jersey state history, authorities said, although they noted a fire does not have to consume thousands of acres to be destructive.

"We are living in the most densely populated state in the nation, we don't have to have a large acreage wildfire to cause a lot of property damage and threatened lives," McLaughlin said. "If you just go back to last year's fire in Lakewood and Brick townships, that fire was relatively small in comparison to some of these large wildfires ... But that fire wreaked havoc, jumped four lanes of the Garden State Parkway, burned structures to the ground and caused a lot of threats to a lot of people."

The smoke that has been reported in other parts of South Jersey will likely "linger and lay" in those areas until there is a significant change in the weather such as rain or heavy winds, McLaughlin said.

Conditions from a wildfire of this size sometimes pose health concerns for those who are unusually sensitive to ozone or particle pollution may experience respiratory symptoms, according to AirNow.gov.

This story also contains reporting by Nicole Rosenthal, Karen Wall and Michelle Rotuno-Johnson.

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