Brush fire burns 60 acres in Hunterdon County

The risk of brush fire remains high after two fires on Wednesday burned dozens of acres across the state.

61 acres burned off Rocky Run Road off Route 31 near Mount Kipp  in Glen Gardner from a fire that broke out on Wednesday night, according to the Caryn Shinske of the  New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.There was concern at one point for the Veterans Haven North veterans facility and the nearby Hagedorn Psychiatric Hospital but no structures were affected by the fire according to Shinske.

Shinske said several local fire departments and FFS crews worked to contain the fire by 1 a.m. and the fire is expected to be brought under control today  There were no injuries to any firefighters or residents from the fire said Shinske.

The National Weather Service said the relative humidity will increase with a south-southwest wind on Thursday that will help limit the spread of brush fires on Thursday.

"We will see some beneficial rain from Thursday night into Friday. However, fire danger will remain elevated, with potential wind gusts over 40 mph. The windy weather continues through the weekend too," meteorologist Dan Zarrow said.

A brush fire in a marshy area along the Garden State Parkway in Bass River on Wednesday burned 73 acres of salt marsh and another 13 acres of forest  sending columns of white smoke into the air, according to DEP spokesman Larry Haijna.  Firefighters remained on the scene on Thursday according to Haijna to check for any remaining hot spots.

Smoke may still be visible from the Parkway but not nearly as much as yesterday's plumes.

A lane was closed on the southbound Garden State Parkway on Wednesday as firefighters fought the blaze from the ground and the air.