September 10, 2024

Forest fire rages in Berkeley Township, burning through nearly 200 acres

The blaze, which broke out Monday evening, was 50% contained and no buildings had been affected, authorities said.

By Kristin Hunt
PhillyVoice Staff

Doug Hood/Asbury Park Press / USA TODAY NETWORK

Smoke from the wildfire in the New Jersey Pinelands was visible from the observation deck at Jake’s Branch County Park. The blaze broke out Monday in Berkeley Township.

A wildfire that broke out in the New Jersey Pinelands on Monday evening is still burning a day later.

The blaze had torn through about 189 acres in Berkeley Township and was 50% contained as of Tuesday afternoon, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said. No buildings had been affected, but smoke has impacted neighborhoods along Northern Boulevard and Hickory Lane. The fire is concentrated in a mostly uninhabited Ocean County area known as Fishers Pit.

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Crews first spotted the fire at 4:44 p.m. Monday, initially struggling to dampen it due to "erratic fire behavior." The blaze was 20% contained by Tuesday morning. Its cause is still unknown.

According to the Associated Press, a squad of 31 firefighters with 11 engines and a bulldozer have been working to stamp out the fire since it sparked. Though it originated near Exit 77 on the Garden State Parkway, the blaze has not closed any roads.

WILDFIRE UPDATE: Fishers Pit Wildfire - Berkeley Twp, Ocean County

SIZE & CONTAINMENT
🔥189 acres
🔥50% contained

STRUCTURES THREATENED
✅0 structures threatened

ROAD CLOSURES
✅0 road closures

FIRE CAUSE
⚠️Under investigation

NEXT UPDATE
⏰8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10 pic.twitter.com/O2CkgyVVW3
— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) September 10, 2024