Large forest fire burning in Ocean County
UPDATE: The fire was extinguished Monday morning. No structures were damaged.
Firefighters are battling a large forest fire that was discovered this morning in Ocean County.
The blaze is within the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area in Manchester Township, a secluded area to the east of the Burlington County border.
As of noon, the fire was consuming about 100 woodland acres within the 29,000 acre forest, with the potential to increase up to 400 acres, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
The service earlier dispatched a helicopter for observation and possible suppression. Local firefighters were requested to help contain the blaze.
No structures are currently in danger. The cause wasn’t immediately known.
Route 539 is closed between Whiting and Manchester due to the fire, according to the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department.
With a northwest wind, smoke will be heading toward the Lacey and Long Beach Island areas.
The New Jersey Forest Fire has suspended controlled burn operations for today.
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