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Massive N.J. Pinelands fire started in area where illegal bonfires occur, officials say

The origin of a massive forest fire in the Penn State Forest in the federally-protected N.J. Pinelands was described by fire officials as a secluded sandy spot where people have illegal bonfires. More than 11,000 acres were consumed in the fire, which started Saturday and went into Sunday night.

Spectators watch as the Spring Hill fire and backfire burns in Woodland Township, N.J., Sunday, March, 31, 2019. Authorities say fire whipped by high winds has spread over thousands of acres of state forest land in the Pinelands of New Jersey.  (Ed Murray/NJ Advance Media via AP)
Spectators watch as the Spring Hill fire and backfire burns in Woodland Township, N.J., Sunday, March, 31, 2019. Authorities say fire whipped by high winds has spread over thousands of acres of state forest land in the Pinelands of New Jersey. (Ed Murray/NJ Advance Media via AP)Read moreEd Murray | NJ Advance Media for / AP

New Jersey fire and environmental protection officials said Monday a forest fire that destroyed more than 11,600 acres in the federally protected Pinelands started in a remote spot where people have bonfires.

The investigation is continuing, but Trevor Raynor, the fire incident commander, said the blaze started early Saturday afternoon in the Penn State Forest, in “an area people congregate to have illegal bonfires ... without a permit and not in a designated area."

The details were provided Monday in a conference call with the media during which fire officials also announced that the fire was “100 percent contained,” though firefighters are still monitoring the large wooded tract with airplanes to keep hot spots and smoldering areas in check. “The containment simply means there’s a perimeter around this wildfire, but there’s still continued burning. ... The rain helped but we are reassessing to see if any of this fire will become awake,” Raynor said.

The rapidly spreading fire began in the Spring Hill area of the woods in Woodland Township, Burlington County, and by Saturday evening reached Route 72, where homes and other buildings are located. The fire also reached parts of Ocean County and grew to encompass an area larger in size than Atlantic City. More than 80 firefighters fought the blaze.

Ray Bukowski, an assistant commissioner with the state Department of Environmental Protection, said the point of origin is a half- to one-acre sandy spot in a remote part of the woods that could have been accessed by hikers, bicyclists, all-terrain vehicles or trucks.

Authorities ask that anyone with information call an anonymous state police tip line at 609-296-3132.

Fire officials declined to provide any other information about the cause or whether there may be charges filed, pending the conclusion of their investigation. Brian Kervenes, a fire investigator, said the fire was not started by lightning or by a prescribed burn, as initially reported by some media outlets. Kervenes said it was started by people in the area. He declined to say whether investigators believe it was accidental or deliberate.

Greg McLaughlin, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service fire warden, provided an overview of how the fire progressed. He said a fire tower picked up smoke at 1:45 p.m. Saturday and at that point the blaze had already consumed 30 acres and was spreading rapidly.

To bring the fire under control, he said, firefighters employed “dangerous back-burn techniques,” or a controlled burn, deliberately igniting debris on the forest floor that could act as fuel or kindling. The technique "kept it from crossing Route 72 where it could have damaged buildings,” McLaughlin said.

The fire was driven by strong southwesterly winds, gusting at 30 miles per hour, and traveled north toward the highway, near an airfield in Woodland Township, he said. The blaze, which also stretched into parts of Washington Township, had forced the closure of Route 72 between Routes 539 and 532.

By Sunday, there was still unburned fuel on the forest floor, and firefighters used aircraft to drop lake water onto the flames, McLaughlin said. “We were successful because the rains came, and more than we thought, and the winds didn’t shift,” he said.

The fire was brought under control Sunday night and there were no injuries, damage or evacuations. But Bukowski warned that the fire could still cause problems. “There is still some heat and some potential flare-ups in containment area, so we’re not considering this over by any stretch,” he said.