Firefighters are responding to another wildfire in Wharton State Forest, the second within the past month.
The fire is burning in an area off Maple Branch Road near Tylertown and Batsto Village, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said Tuesday.
Batsto Village and its surrounding hiking trails were closed Tuesday morning, state Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson Caryn Shinske said.
Buttonwood Campground was also shut down Tuesday, the Fire Service said.
By Tuesday afternoon, the fire burned 40 acres and was 15% contained. Firefighters were performing a backfiring maneuver to help contain the flames, the Fire Service said.
A backfiring is done by Forest Fire Service staff, who intentionally set a separate fire to consume fuel in the larger blaze’s path. This is done to stop the fire from spreading or to change its direction, the Fire Service said.
People are also reading…
Seven residential structures on Tuesday afternoon were in danger of being affected by the fire, the Fire Service said.
Updates will be provided when they’re available.
The forest is still recovering from a wildfire that burned nearly 15,000 acres in the Pine Barrens last month. Officials declared the wildfire New Jersey’s largest since 2007.
That fire threatened areas near Batsto Village as well.
Firefighters believe that blaze was set accidentally due to illegal campfire activity.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
