Forecasters warn of fire risk amid low humidity, wind gusts as Pine
Barrens fire burns
[April 26, 2025]
By MIKE CATALINI
Forecasters on Friday warned low humidity and gusty wind increased the
risk that fire could develop across parts of New Jersey, Philadelphia
and its suburbs and Delaware as firefighters continued to battle a vast
wildfire in the Pine Barrens.
The National Weather Service discouraged any outdoor burning with low
humidity, temperatures reaching near 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees
Celsius) and southerly winds that could gust up to 20 mph (32 kph)
across a swath of the Mid-Atlantic. There's a chance of rain over the
weekend in the region, where officials said fires also burned
uncontained in Pennsylvania on Friday.
In its most recent update, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said about
60% of the fire spread over nearly 24 square miles (62 square
kilometers) in the southern part of the state was contained. No injuries
or deaths have been reported, but buildings have burned along with cars.
Suspect is arrested in connection with wildfire
Officials have charged a 19-year-old man from the area with starting the
blaze that led to the wildfire.
Prosecutors on Thursday said Joseph Kling, 19, from Waretown, New
Jersey, was arrested and charged with arson and aggravated arson, saying
he lit wooden pallets on fire and left the area before they were fully
put out.
A public defender representing him during the hearing said she had
“nothing further” when asked by a judge.
“The New Jersey Office of the Public Defender cannot comment on pending
cases at this early stage of the legal process, other than to remind
everyone that individuals are presumed innocent until proven otherwise
in a court of law," said Cristina LiBassi a spokesperson with the Office
of the Public Defender in an email Friday.
Attempts to reach Kling by phone were not successful.
Blaze first spotted when smoke appears amid the pines
Authorities first spotted the blaze Tuesday morning from a fire tower
when a smoke column appeared amid the pines. Law enforcement said they
used a GPS to plot the origin of the fire and determined the cause was a
bonfire that hadn’t been put out.
Speaking Thursday afternoon at a news conference, Ocean County
Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said “we can confidently say that we
think the fire was set intentionally.” He declined further comment on
why authorities believe the man they arrested was responsible and other
matters related to the investigation since it remains ongoing.
It's forest fire season in the pinelands, a wilderness that encompasses
more than 1 million acres (405,000 hectares) — an area roughly as large
as the Grand Canyon. Firefighters are contending with low humidity and
the aftermath of a monthslong drought in the region.
New Jersey is most densely populated state
New Jersey is the nation’s most densely populated state and officials
have warned the fire could threaten developments nearby, although parts
of the Pine Barrens are uninhabited. The fire had grown to more than
23.8 square miles (about 62 square kilometers) on Thursday.
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Firefighters battle a wildfire in Ocean County, N.J. on Thursday,
April 24, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
via AP)
Officials said the fire is believed to be the second-worst in recent
years in New Jersey, smaller only than a 2007 blaze that burned 26
square miles (67 square kilometers).
Jim and Lenore Thoms, who own a business in an industrial park near
the blaze, called the fire “a very scary experience” and praised the
efforts of firefighters.
“The firefighters were phenomenal, they saved this whole park,” Jim
Thoms said. “If they weren’t around, the way things were going on,
you might not have seen any buildings at all.”
The fire is roughly 54 miles (87 kilometers) south of New York City.
It’s about 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of Philadelphia.
Firefighters also battle blazes in Pennsylvania
Some 115 miles (186 kilometers) to the west of Philadelphia in
south-central Pennsylvania, firefighters battled two fires around
Michaux State Forest covering a combined 2.1 square miles (5.4
square kilometers), authorities said.
A spokesman for Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources said warm, dry conditions and winds made the fires
difficult to contain, although no structures had yet been consumed
by midday Friday.
On Thursday, New York officials warned of higher-than-normal
pollution levels were possible in New York City, Rockland and
Westchester counties, and in Long Island’s Nassau and Suffolk
counties.
Officials said New Jersey's fire is believed to be the second-worst
in recent years, smaller only than a 2007 blaze that burned 26
square miles (67 square kilometers).
Video released by the state agency overseeing the fire service
showed billowing white and black clouds of smoke, intense flames
engulfing pines and firefighters dousing a charred structure.
The Pine Barrens sit between Philadelphia to the west and the
Atlantic coast to the east. In the region with quick-draining sandy
soil and trees with still-developing leaves, humidity remains low
and winds can kick up, drying out the forest floor.
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Associated Press journalists Tassanee Vejpongsa in Waretown, New
Jersey, and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania contributed to
this report.
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