A wildfire that has been burning in Wharton State Forest in Burlington County since July 4 was sparked by fireworks, state officials said Sunday.
The wildfire, which has grown to 4,000 acres, was discovered near Batona Campground and Apple Pie Hill by the New Jersey Forest Fire Department Friday morning.
A fireworks display inside the forest sparked the blaze late Wednesday night, state investigators found.
As of 1 p.m. Sunday, the fire had grown to 4,000 acres and was 65 percent contained, according to fire officials.
The fire is the largest the state has seen this year, about four times the size of a wildfire that burned 510 acres in Wharton State Forest in April, state officials said.
This is not one of the largest wildfires ever recorded in New Jersey. Since the 1920s, fires have burned tens of thousands of acres of forest in the state.
The largest wildfire of 2023 started in the Bass River State Forest in May and has burned more than 5,000 acres, according to statistics from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
New Jersey’s wildfire season traditionally runs from mid-March to mid-May, but it has lasted longer over the past decade, with major wildfires occurring in February and lasting into summer.
Last year, the state experienced its busiest fire season in more than a decade. The State Department responded to 1,034 wildfires that burned 17,979 acres in New Jersey. Fourteen of those fires were considered major fires, burning more than 100 acres each, according to the DEP.
Most wildfires in New Jersey are started by people, state officials say.
Helicopters were on scene, dropping hundreds of gallons of water to aid firefighting efforts in Wharton this weekend, authorities said.
Fireworks are prohibited in New Jersey state parks, forests and recreation areas.
No structures are threatened and the campsite has been evacuated.
Anyone with additional information about the fire that could assist in the investigation is asked to call the New Jersey State Park Police tip line at 844-PARK-TIP (844-727-5847).
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You can contact Nyah Marshall at Nmarshall@njadvancemedia.com.
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