Joint Base wildfire burns more than 2,000 acres

    The smoke plume from the Joint Base wildfire as spotted by JSHN Instagram contributor @susiesunshine13 from Wharton Forest's Apple Pie Hill fire tower.

    The smoke plume from the Joint Base wildfire as spotted by JSHN Instagram contributor @susiesunshine13 from Wharton Forest's Apple Pie Hill fire tower.

    A fire that ignited at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst yesterday morning consumed more than 2,000 acres of land, officials said. 

    The wildfire broke out around 8:15 a.m. yesterday at one of the ranges on the Dix portion of the base, said Air Force Tech Sgt. Tech Sgt. Chris Powell of the installation’s public affairs office, adding that the fire spread to some of the surrounding ranges. 

    Powell said the fire was likely ignited by a tracer or flare, although the cause remains under investigation. The fire was burning approximately 350 acres as of around midday yesterday. 

    The spokesman said fires on the ranges are a “typical thing that happens during the summer,” citing dry conditions and ongoing artillery training.

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    The ranges are in isolated areas, according to Powell, who said that there are no reports of endangered structures.

    New Jersey Forest Fire Service units responded to assist the base’s 87th Civil Engineer firefighters units. The state units once again responded to the base early this afternoon to assist with suppressing another wildfire. 

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