CHATSWORTH, N.J. (AP) — A man set wooden pallets on fire and failed to properly put them out in New Jersey's Pine Barrens, sparking a quick-moving wildfire with smoke affecting the air quality in the New York City area, authorities said Thursday.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said the Waretown man faces aggravated arson and arson charges in the southern New Jersey wildfire, which authorities said Thursday morning grew to more than 23 square miles. (59 square kilometers).
The prosecutor’s office said the 19-year-old has no attorney listed yet.
Higher-than-normal pollution levels were expected Thursday in New York City, Rockland and Westchester counties, and in Long Island's Nassau and Suffolk counties, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation advised Wednesday. The fire is roughly 54 miles (87 kilometers) south of New York City.
It said “going indoors may reduce exposure” to problems such as eye, nose and throat irritation, coughing, sneezing and shortness of breath.
The fire in the southern part of New Jersey could continue to burn for days before rain later this week, officials said. No one has been injured so far in the blaze, and 5,000 residents were evacuated but have been permitted to return home. A single commercial building and some vehicles were destroyed in the fire, while 12 structures remained threatened Wednesday evening.
“This is still a very active fire,” said New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette. “As we continue to get this under full control the expectation is that the number of acres will grow and will grow in a place that is unpopulated.”
The Ocean County Sheriff's Office in New Jersey also cautioned early Thursday about air quality, saying “smoke will continue to permeate the area.” It said emergency personnel will be on site for the next few days.
In New York, dry conditions across the state are resulting in a “high” fire danger rating in several regions including New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, Capital Region, and portions of the North Country, the state air quality advisory said. The rest of the state is at a moderate or low level of fire danger.
Officials said the fire is believed to be the second-worst in the last two decades, smaller only than a 2007 blaze that burned 26 square miles (67 square kilometers).
Acting New Jersey Gov. Tahesha Way declared a state of emergency Wednesday and officials said they’ve contained about 50% of the wildfire.
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.
Forest fires are a common occurrence in the Pine Barrens, a 1.1 million-acre (445,000-hectare) state and federally protected reserve about the size of the Grand Canyon lying halfway between Philadelphia to the west and the Atlantic coast to the east. The region, with its quick-draining sandy soil, is in peak forest fire season. The trees are still developing leaves, humidity remains low and winds can kick up, drying out the forest floor.
The area had been under a severe drought until recently.
___
Associated Press writers Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, Hallie Golden in Seattle and Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.
Bruce Shipkowski, The Associated Press
