Officials warn New Jersey residents wildfire dangers are not over yet

Officials warn New Jersey residents wildfire dangers are not over yet

TRENTON, N.J. -- Crews have contained the three major wildfires that erupted across New Jersey last week, but firefighters warn residents the danger is not over yet. 

Right after officials gave a briefing Tuesday morning, a Red Flag warning went into effect, followed by another wildfire in Burlington County.

Officials said just before 8 p.m. Tuesday that the fire was 30% contained and had spread over 257 acres. Thirty structures were threatened.

The Kanouse fire in West Milford is finally out, but anxiety lives on for residents like Luciano Spigarelli, knowing how much dry brush surrounds Echo Lake and his home.  

"We pay attention because there's a lot of leaves on the ground. Every year, you got new leaves that can catch fire very easily and then spread," Spigarelli said.

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No snow and warmer temperatures, combined with an invasive beetle preying on ash trees, have made forests across New Jersey tinderboxes this year.

So far, 517 wildfires have erupted, burning 7,608 acres, compared to 327 fires burning 471 acres last year at this time.

"We are doing really good work to keep most of these fires small, but we are running seven days a week, we're running 24 hours," said Greg McLaughlin, chief of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.

Spring is the most dangerous season fire-wise in New Jersey.  

During a virtual briefing Tuesday, fire officials explained how low humidity, high winds and trees that have not leafed-out create a dangerous combination. 

"Those on-the-ground fuels are drying out quickly with the absence of shading, so the fire starts on the ground and can spread quickly," McLaughlin said.

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Investigators say 1% of wildfires in New Jersey are caused by lightning. The other 99% are man-made and therefore preventable.

Just last month in Hewitt, several homes were damaged when a resident lost control of an illegal backyard burn.

"He was burning scrap lumber. The conditions were dry, it was windy, so embers landed on the ground. There was a large amount of ground fuel," West Milford Fire Marshal Michael Moscatello said.

The fire service is doing its part, too, conducting prescribed burns and thinning forests to reduce density.

Officials say they still have not determined a cause for any of the three major fires that erupted in Passaic and Ocean counties last week.

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