VIDEO: Crews battled several large brush fires that broke out in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on Tuesday. NewsCopter 7 was over the scene where a large plume of smoke could be seen across the city. The fires burned near the east side of the New Jersey Turnpike and opposite Newark Liberty International Airport. The fire and smoke impacted drivers as they traveled on the turnpike during the heart of the evening commute. Newark Airport said the fire was off airport property and did not impacting any flights. It's not clear yet how the fires started. It comes amid a statewide effort to prevent a repeat of the wildfires that were seen last year in New Jersey.