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.
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