Allegedly, a 19-year-old from Wartown, New Jersey, started a massive wildfire that destroyed a building and burned almost 15,000 acres of land.
Joseph Kling was arrested and charged with aggravated arson after he allegedly started the Jones Road Wildfire. Authorities say that he lit the bonfire with wooden pallets and then didn’t extinguish it correctly. This allowed flames to start a wildfire that quickly spread due to dry, windy conditions and an ongoing drought in the region. The fire has already burned almost 15,000 acres of land across Ocean County and forced about 5,000 residents to evacuate, putting 1,300 homes at risk.
The wildfire started on Tuesday, April 22, in the Greenwood Forest Wildfire Management Area in Barnegat Township, Ocean County, New Jersey. It quickly spread because of dry conditions and drought. It has become one of the largest wildfires in New Jersey in two decades, doing a lot of harm to the area, including the destruction of a commercial building and several vehicles.
Smoke from the fire has started to affect air quality in specific areas of New Jersey, New York, and Long Island. Air quality alerts have been issued, warning that the air is hazardous, especially for those with asthma, heart issues, or respiratory problems. In New York City, due to the air quality, the sky has started to look hazy and orange. Officials tell people to refrain from going outdoors. Health experts recommend that people go outdoors, keep their windows up, and wear a mask as a safety precaution. These conditions are expected to stay the same until the wildfire is under control and the smoke clears away.
As of Thursday, April 24, firefighters had made significant progress in containing the fire, having contained 50% of it.
Currently, Kling remains in custody awaiting a hearing, and officials continue to assess the wildfire’s ecological and economic impacts.
