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 air quality in the New York City area, authorities said Thursday.
Authorities arrested Joseph Kling, 19, of Waretown, New Jersey, and charged him with arson and aggravated arson in the fire that’s still burning in southern New Jersey. The wildfire was described as starting with “an improperly extinguished bonfire.”
Judge James Gluck told Kling during a brief court appearance Thursday the state sought to have him detained pending trial and he wouldn’t be released. Kling spoke briefly, only to clarify that his next court appearance was set for Tuesday. “Thank you. Have a good day,” he said when the judge dismissed him.
A public defender representing Kling during the hearing told the judge she had “nothing further” when he asked.
Emails from the public defender’s office said Thursday it could not comment on a pending case so early in the process. A voice message was left at a possible phone number for Kling.
Authorities first spotted the blaze Tuesday morning from a fire tower when a smoke column appeared amid the pines. Law enforcement said they used a GPS to plot the origin of the fire and determined the cause was a bonfire that hadn’t been put out.
Speaking Thursday afternoon at a news conference, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said “we can confidently say that we think the fire was set intentionally.” He declined further comment on why authorities believe Kling was responsible and other matters related to the investigation since it remains ongoing.
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 23.8 square miles (61.6 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 were 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.”
Jim and Lenore Thoms, who own a business in an industrial park near the blaze, called the fire “a very scary experience” and praised the efforts of firefighters.
“The firefighters were phenomenal, they saved this whole park.” Jim Thoms said. “If they weren’t around, the way things were going on, you might not have seen any buildings at all.”
The effects of the fire are beginning to be seen beyond the state.
Higher-than-normal pollution levels were forecast 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 said. 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.
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, according to the advisory. 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 recent years, 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 Thursday that they’ve contained about 50% of the wildfire. Gov. Phil Murphy is on an official visit in Poland for a Holocaust memorial. He’s due to fly back home 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. In the region with quick-draining sandy soil and trees with still-developing leaves, humidity remains low and winds can kick up, drying out the forest floor.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.