A lack of humidity, warming temperatures, and high winds make the spring months peak wildfire season in New Jersey and 2019 has been a busy year already for woodland fires.
State environmental officials are urging residents and visitors to be careful with fire, as even small fires can grow into raging blazes under certain conditions.
“Enjoy the outdoors. Enjoy our state parks, our forests, our wildlife management areas. But be careful with fire,” said Forest Fire Service Fire Warden Greg McLaughlin. “Ninety-nine percent of all fires are caused by people.”
In preparation for wildfire season, the Forest Fire Service conducted a series of controlled burns from January to March. Officials torched 22,616 acres of forest this year to eliminate fuel that could make a future fire worse.
Still, New Jersey firefighters have battled 331 forest fires this year alone, an increase over the same period last year, which had more rain.