Sparked by fireworks, New Jersey forest fire is 90% contained, authorities say

The blaze was burning in a section of the forest in Tabernacle Township near the Batona Campground and Apple Pie Hill.

Associated Press

Updated Jul. 9, 2024 10:40 am

A large brush fire at Wharton State Forest on Friday, July 5, 2024. (6abc)

Firefighting crews have managed to contain 90% of a forest fire that burned 6.7 square miles (17 square kilometers) in the New Jersey Pinelands.

The blaze in Wharton State Forest was not threatening any structures, and no one had been injured by it, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said Monday night.

It was burning in a section of the forest in Tabernacle Township near the Batona Campground and Apple Pie Hill.

On Sunday, the service said the blaze had been touched off by the use of fireworks in the forest but would not say how it had reached that determination.

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The fire was reported by a spotter from a nearby fire observation tower shortly after 9 a.m. Friday.

The fire service said it would not issue further updates about the status of the blaze.

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