LACEY, NJ – Firefighters have made progress containing a massive wildfire burning in central New Jersey that threatened to become the largest blaze in the state in nearly 20 years, officials said.

The Jones Road fire is the largest wildfire in New Jersey since June 2022 when the Mullica River Fire scorched 13,500 acres across Wharton State Forest in Burlington County. If the fire surpasses that, it would be the largest in nearly 18 years. In May 2007, the Warren Grove Fire burned 17,000 acres in the Pinelands of southern New Jersey.

Police arrested and charged 19-year-old Joseph Kling with aggravated arson for allegedly starting the wildfire in Waretown.