The New Jersey Forest Fire Service is battling of a wildfire off Route 539 in Little Egg Harbor Tuesday afternoon, the service said.
The fire has burned 125 acres and was 0% contained as of 3 p.m., the forest fire service said in social media posts. The blaze is in the Stafford Forge Wildlife Management Area and has been named the Governor’s Branch Wildfire, after a stream that runs through the area.
Sixteen structures are at risk and local fire departments have been deployed to protect them, as fire service crews light back fires to try and contained the flames.
Earlier Tuesday, the fire service said it had closed a portion of Route 539 west of the Garden State Parkway, between Forge and Warren Grove Spur roads.
Winds are currently gusting up to 40 miles per hour, the National Weather Service said.
A spokesperson for Little Egg Harbor Mayor Blaise Scibetta said volunteer firefighters have been on the scene.
No evacuations had to be made in light of the fire, said Rodney Haines, the municipal business administrator, on behalf of Scibetta.
The area is near the Warren Grove bombing range, where military jets from the East Coast practice firing at ground targets.
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