In latest NJ wildfire, 9 square miles of state forest burn and fire rages despite rain

🔥The fire was spotted from the air early Friday morning

🔥Firefighters had a tough time containing early fire

🔥The weekend rain was helpful but not enough to extinguish the flames

SHAMONG — Firefighters spent the weekend in Wharton State Forest battling the Mines Spung Wildfire, which started Friday and has burned nearly 9 square miles.

Despite the weekend rain, the fire has consumed 5,750 acres and is 80% contained as of the last update at noon on Sunday.

Five structures are still threatened and several roads through the area remain closed.  After making significant progress in slowing the fire on Saturday, the fire was “creeping and smoldering,” or spreading slowly but with large amounts of smoke.

"According to the NJ Weather Network at Rutgers, that area of Burlington County picked up about a quarter-inch of rain since Friday. Helpful, for sure. But not enough of a soaking to completely extinguish or control the fire alone," New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow said.

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Fire first spotted from the air

The fire was first reported by a private aircraft flying over the area of the Carranza Memorial early Friday morning, according to the NJ Forest Fire Service. By Friday night, the fire had consumed 5 square miles, causing the evacuation of the Lower Forge campground and Phillip M. Costello Preparatory Academy.

Zarrow said that humidity will remain elevated and winds will remain relatively light this week, with additional spot showers and thunderstorms expected. All these factors will help to lower the overall fire danger across New Jersey, he said.

The largest wildfire of the season was the Jones Road Wildfire, which burned 23 square miles, or over 15,000 acres, of forest in Ocean County. Joseph Kling, 18, and a 17-year-old suspect were charged with arson.

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