Wharton State Forest wildfire started by fireworks, New Jersey fire service says

TABERNACLE, N.J. (CBS) -- A wildfire that's burned 4,000 acres of South Jersey's Wharton State Forest was started by fireworks, the New Jersey State Forest Service said Sunday.

The department said the fire, named the Tea Time Hill Wildfire, started late on Thursday, July 4 after fireworks were lit inside the forest. The Apple Pie Hill Fire Tower detected the fire around 9 a.m. the following day.

As of Sunday afternoon, the fire was 75% contained. Though NJFFS previously said a residential structure and a hunting club were threatened by the blaze, both threats were cleared as of Saturday morning. The fire service said no structures are currently threatened by the fire, and another update is expected to be released at 3 p.m.

Anyone with information about how the fire started is asked to contact New Jersey State Park Police at 844-PARK-TIP (844-727-5847).

Out of precaution, the forest's Batona Campground was evacuated by park police after the fire broke out on July 5 and remains closed.

In a Facebook post Sunday , the NJFFS said the Batona Trail is closed between Route 532 and Carranza Road, as does the Tulpehocken Trail from Apple Pie Hill to Hawkins Bridge.

Local roads inside the Wharton State Forest are still closed Sunday, along with Carranza Road from the Carranza Memorial to Speedwell Road at Friendship Field.

"The New Jersey State Park Police reminds visitors to New Jersey's state parks, forests and recreation areas that fireworks are strictly prohibited," the post said. "This includes, but is not limited to, beaches, campgrounds, fields and forested areas."

In 2023, more than forest 18,000 acres were burned in New Jersey and NJFFS responded to more major fires than they had in over 20 years.

The state's first major wildfire of 2024 was the County Line wildfire between Burlington and Camden counties .