JACKSON — As spring rolls on toward summer and people begin to spend more time outside, local officials have issued warnings about the significant chance for wildfires to spring up in Jackson and throughout New Jersey.
Due to a lack of significant rainfall in recent weeks, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (FFS) has said the central portion of the Garden State is in a state of extreme fire danger.
Wildfires and brush fires have already started popping up throughout the state, prompting officials to urge residents to follow FFS guidelines.
According to the FFS Internet website, an extreme fire danger warning indicates that “fires start readily from sparks or cigarette butts” and have the tendency to spread very quickly. Fires that start in these types of conditions “burn fiercely,” according to the website.
Jackson Mayor Michael Reina, along with officials from the Office of Emergency Management and the Jackson Township emergency responders, said in a township newsletter that they “would like to advise Jackson residents about the dangers of open fires.”
They implored residents to follow the FFS Stage 3 restrictions. Under Stage 3 restrictions, all fires in wooded areas that are not contained in an elevated propane, natural gas, gas or electric stove are prohibited. In addition, all forms of charcoal fires are prohibited.
According to the FSS, about 39 percent of all wildfires in New Jersey are started by campfires, discarded smoking materials and other miscellaneous causes such as fireworks.
The FSS, according to the mayor, has placed a ban on recreational outdoor fires in Jackson and surrounding areas, leaving individuals who want to spend time outdoors with a campfire or backyard fire pit in the dark for the duration of the extreme fire hazard warning period.
Individuals found to be in violation of these guidelines can be fined up to $5,000 if the incident was an accident, while a willful violation of the forest fire law can result in a fine of up to $100,000.