Wildfire in Little Egg Harbor Township 100% contained
LITTLE EGG HARBOR TWP, N.J. (CBS) -- Crews placed a wildfire in Little Egg Harbor Township that burned portions of Bass River State Forest 100% under control, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service wrote in a tweet Sunday.
The fire, which officials called the "Log Swamp wildfire," started burning at around 10 a.m. Saturday.
WILDFIRE UPDATE: Log Swamp Wildfire – Little Egg Harbor Twp.
— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) April 16, 2023
At 8 am Sunday, April 16, @njdepforestfire achieved 100% containment of a 1,607-acre wildfire in Little Egg Harbor Twp. which burned portions of Bass River SF, the Stafford Forge WMA and the Warren Grove Bombing Range. pic.twitter.com/l5B4AUz8kB
The fire burned 1,607 acres, including the Bass River State Forest, the Stafford Forge Wildlife Management Area and the Warren Grove Bombing Range.
The NJFFS said staff will remain on the scene to continue improving containment lines and monitor the area to ensure public safety.
Photos from Julie Van Blarcum showed the smoke visible from Route 539 near Little Egg Harbor and Tuckerton, N.J.
Route 539, which was closed from the town of Warren Grove down to Forge Road, has reopened.
The NJFFS said a "prescribed burn" at the Warren Grove Bombing Range in February played a "key role" in stopping the "Log Swamp wildfire."
No residential structures were threatened by the fire, no evacuations were made and no injuries were reported, the NJFFS said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Another recent fire, the Jimmy's Waterhole fire, grew to almost 3,900 acres before it was contained on April 13.
Wildfires in this area are more common in April, as dry leaf litter and dry air, along with a lack of tree canopy, can increase conditions for a fire to start.