Fire burns at sunset on Monday. (picture by Shawn Michaels.
A fire in the New Jersey
Pinelands that consumed a little over a square mile of forest was
about 60 percent contained Tuesday, with firefighters reopening a
state park previously threatened by the flames.
The blaze, which burned 677 acres, broke out Monday afternoon in
Bass River Township.
It forced the closure of Bass River State Forest and the
evacuation of an unknown number of visitors, staff and campers,
said Bert Plante, a spokesman for the state Forest Fire Service.
The park and campground were reopened Tuesday afternoon, but
boating was prohibited because it might take too long to bring the
vessels to shore if the fire worsened.
Plante expected 80 percent of the fire to be contained by dusk.
"All morning and into the early afternoon, the winds were
blowing the flames back onto the main body of fire rather than
spreading it outward," he said. "We have got quite a bit of fire
occurring in two big swampy areas at the center of the fire. But we
feel confident about it behaving itself and staying in there."
No populated areas are threatened.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. It began in a
swampy area inaccessible to firefighters.
More than 40 firefighters battled the blaze Tuesday with 13 fire
engines, three bulldozers and two helicopters.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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