Man charged with arson in New Jersey Pine Barrens fire

Man charged with arson after authorities say he sparked New Jersey Pine Barrens fire

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A fast-moving wildfire engulfing part of New Jersey’s Pine Barrens has not resulted in any injuries, officials said Wednesday, though it’s expected to grow before forecast rain later this week. It has burned more than 20 square miles.

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A fast-moving wildfire engulfing part of New Jersey’s Pine Barrens has not resulted in any injuries though it’s expected to continue to grow before forecast rain later this week.

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A fast-moving wildfire was burning in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, but officials on Wednesday reopened a stretch of a major highway that was closed due to the blaze. More than 1,300 structures were threatened and about 5,000 residents were under either voluntary or mandatory evacuation orders. All evacuation orders have been lifted as of Wednesday morning.

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Authorities say 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.

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A helicopter helps fight the wildfire close to the Garden State Parkway’s Waretown toll plaza in New Jersey on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (Elizabeth Robertson /The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

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In this image taken from aerial video shows smoke rising from wildfires in Ocean County, N.J., Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (WPVI via AP)

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Smoke fills the sky from a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

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A fire burns on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, near Waretown, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

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In this image taken from aerial video shows smoke and flames from wildfires in Ocean County, N.J., Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (WPVI via AP)

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Firefighters battle a house fire Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Lacey Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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Smoke fills the sky as firefighters battle a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

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Smoke fills the sky from a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

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Smoke fills the sky from a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

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Firefighters battle a house fire Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Lacey Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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Smoke rises from a wildfire early Wednesday, April 23, 2025, near Barnegat Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

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Waretown Volunteer Fire Company firefighters prepare to respond to a wildfire on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Waretown, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

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People head into an evacuation shelter at Southern Regional High School from wildfires on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, near Stafford Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

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A Waretown volunteer firefighter helps prepare a firetruck to respond to a wildfire on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Waretown, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

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Carmine, of Waretown, and his dog Amber sit outside an evacuation center at Southern Regional High School during wildfires on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, near Stafford Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

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Liberty Door and Awning’s 20,000 foot warehouse is damaged from a wildfire in Forked River, N.J., on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (Elizabeth Robertson /The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

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Liberty Door and Awning’s 20,000 foot warehouse is damaged from a wildfire in Forked River, N.J., on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (Elizabeth Robertson /The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

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Damage from a wildfire is seen Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Ocean Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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Smoke fills the sky as firefighters battle a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

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Smoke fills the sky as firefighters battle a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

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Firefighters battle a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

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Smoke fills the sky as firefighters battle a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

By MIKE CATALINI

A man set a bonfire using wooden pallets in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens and left them without fully extinguishing the blaze, sparking a quick-moving wildfire with smoke affecting the air quality in the New York City area, authorities said Thursday.

Authorities arrested the 19-year-old from Waretown, New Jersey, and charged him with arson and aggravated arson in the fire that’s still burning in southern New Jersey that they described as started with “an improperly extinguished bonfire” .

Prosecutors said there’s no attorney listed for him.

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Wildfire in New Jersey Pine Barrens expected to grow before it’s contained, officials say

It’s peak forest fire season in the vast pine wilderness that covers more than 1 million acres (405,000 hectares) — an area roughly as large as the Grand Canyon — and firefighters are contending with low humidity and the aftermath of a monthslong drought in the region.

Though large tracts of the Pine Barrens are uninhabited, New Jersey is the nation’s most densely populated state and officials have warned the fire could threaten developments nearby. The fire had grown to more than 23 square miles (60 square kilometers) on Thursday, approaching what officials believe to have been the largest wildfire in the state in the last two decades.

Authorities had said there were no injuries or deaths in the fire, but a commercial building and some vehicles had been destroyed. About 5,000 people had been evacuated but were permitted to return home on Wednesday, officials said.

“This is still a very active fire,” LaTourette said Wednesday. “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.”

An update is planned for later Thursday.

The effects of the fire are beginning to be seen beyond the state.

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 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. Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, is on an official visit in Poland for a Holocaust memorial. He’s due to fly back home on Friday.

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. 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.

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Bruce Shipkowski in Chatsworth, New Jersey, Hallie Golden in Seattle and Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.