PHILADELPHIA — Conditions were ripe for what has become New Jersey’s biggest wildfire since 2007: freakishly low humidity, high winds, dry tinder, crowds on a holiday weekend — and an illegal campfire that possibly lit the fuse.
The Wharton State Forest wildfire had consumed about 13,500 acres, with many popular recreation areas still closed, according to officials from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. The state forest is often referred to as the heart of the 1.1 million Pinelands National Reserve.
The fire, which was first reported Sunday at 10 a.m., was about 95% contained as of Tuesday night.
