Illegal Fireworks Caused 4K-Acre Wildfire Burning In South Jersey Forest

Crime & Safety

Illegal Fireworks Caused 4K-Acre Wildfire Burning In South Jersey Forest Most of the fire has been contained, as the Tea Time Hill Wildfire continued burning for a 3rd day.

TABERNACLE, NJ — Illegal fireworks caused a 4,000-acre wildfire, which continued to rage Sunday in South Jersey, officials said.

The device was lit inside Wharton State Forest and ignited the fire late Thursday — the Fourth of July — according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. The Tea Time Hill Wildfire was discovered shortly after 9 a.m. Friday and continues to burn as of Sunday afternoon.

Fireworks are prohibited in state parks and forests. Anyone with information that could aid the investigation can call the New Jersey State Park Police tip line at 844-PARK-TIP (844-727-5847).

About 65 percent of the Tea Time Hill Wildfire has been contained as of Sunday afternoon, officials said. The fire broke out Friday around a campground and hiking stop in Wharton State Forest.

Officials reported 65 percent containment on Saturday afternoon, but the wildfire has not grown since then. Four-thousands acres is about 6.25 square miles.

The wildfire has been burning near the Batona Campground and Apple Pie Hill — both of which are located around Tabernacle Township, Burlington County. The campground was evacuated Friday.

Previously, the fire threatened a residential structure and a hunting-club facility. But no properties are at risk of damage as of Sunday morning, officials said.

No homes have been evacuated, according to the Forest Fire Service.

The fire service has ground crews at the scene. Crews will continue to monitor and improve containment lines and mop up and hot spots on Sunday.

Batona Campground and Apple Pie Hill — a popular hiking destination with a viewing tower at a high vantage point — are both stops on the 50-mile Batona Trail. The trail, which runs through New Jersey's Pinelands National Reserve, remains closed between Route 532 and Carranza Road. The Tulpehocken Trail is closed from Apple Pie Hill to Hawkins Bridge.

Local Wharton State Forest roadways have been shut down, and Carranza Road remains closed from the Carranza Memorial to Speedwell Road at Friendship Field.

Ninety-nine percent of New Jersey's wildfires are human-caused, according to the Forest Fire Service. Climate change has and will continue to increase the size and frequency of wildfires, along with the length of wildfire season, according to multiple studies cited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Wharton, New Jersey's largest state forest, encompasses more than 110,000 acres of the Pinelands divided between Burlington, Camden and Atlantic counties.

The Forest Fire Service led the investigation into what caused the fire, with help from State Park Police, the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety and the Burlington County Fire Marshal's Office.