Police, Fire & Courts

Brick, State Fire Service Extinguishes Marsh Fire Tuesday

by
Daniel Nee
April 11, 2023

Firefighters from Brick Township, surrounding communities and the New Jersey Forest Fire Service brought a marsh fire under control in the township Tuesday afternoon, with personnel still scouting the area for hot spots after 5 p.m.

The fire broke out earlier in the afternoon near Alameda Drive and East Lagoona Drive. Alameda backs up to a large area of marshland, much of which is part of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. At one point, aerial units from the state Forest Fire Service were called to the scene and made passes in the area.

Marshland singed by a brush fire, April 11, 2023, in Brick Township, N.J. (Photo: Shorebeat)

No officials were available for comment, however firefighters at the scene said the fire had been extinguished and remaining members of the service were patrolling the marshy area to find remaining hot spots. A significant amount of brush, trees and marshy plant life was burnt, and the smell of smoke wafted through the air. Traffic was being allowed to pass through Alameda Drive, and some first responders were exiting the scene before 6 p.m.

Aerial photography was not available, as the state Forest Fire Service has requested media ground drones during fire events since emergency aircraft must fly low to survey and fight such blazes.

Marshland singed by a brush fire, April 11, 2023, in Brick Township, N.J. (Photo: Shorebeat)

April marks peak wildfire season in New Jersey, the state Forest Fire Service said in a statement released last week. New Jersey wildfire concerns heighten at this time of year because trees and bushes do not yet have full leaves, which leads to more sun reaching the forest floor and, when coupled with breezy or windy days, increasingly dry fallen leaves and pine needles. The dry underbrush acts as kindling for wildfire growth. The weather was breezy Tuesday with highs in the 70s amidst overcast skies.

“Ninety-nine percent of wildfires in New Jersey are caused by humans through accidents, carelessness, negligence and even arson,” said Greg McLaughlin, Administrator and Chief of the Forest Fire Service. “The Forest Fire Service works diligently with local communities to educate residents how to keep their homes ‘Firewise’ in areas with high wildfire risk.”

New Jersey has had an early start to wildfire season this year. Since January 1, 2023, the Forest Fire Service has responded to 315 wildfires which have burned 919.75 acres. The largest of these fires was the Governors Branch Wildfire which sparked on March 7 in the Stafford Forge Wildlife Management Area in Little Egg Harbor, Ocean County. Smoke from the fire was spotted at 11:45 a.m. by the nearby Cedar Bridge Fire Tower and reached 100% containment that evening after burning 418 acres of forest.