Pine Barrens Fire

State officials say a forest fire in a remote area within the New Jersey Pine Barrens has burned hundreds of acres.
The blaze broke out early Sunday afternoon near Oswego Lake in Burlington County’s Washington Township. The area is about five miles west of the Ocean County border.

As of Sunday night, the fire had spread to 843 acres and was only 10 percent contained.

Environmental officials say shifting winds have hampered the efforts of firefighters. But no injuries were reported and no buildings had been damaged as of Monday morning.

Roughly 50 firefighters from various agencies are battling the fire from the ground and air. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Penn State Forest covers 3,366 acres, with Lake Oswego encompassing an additional 90.
Ocean County residents reported smoke drifting into the area on Sunday.
It’s the largest blaze of the young forest fire season.
“It is extremely important that the public understand that a moment of carelessness can cause a wildfire that puts lives and homes at risk,” State Firewarden Gregory S. McLaughlin said in a recent news release.

 “Although March was rainy and snowy, conditions change rapidly. This time of year, warmer and windy weather dries out forests quickly, which creates conditions more prone to rapid growth of a wildfire, particularly in the Pinelands.”

https://whyy.org/articles/more-than-800-acres-of-forest-burning-in-pine-barrens/