Wildfire ignites in another NJ forest, burning hundreds of acres

The NJ Forest Fire Service has fully contained the second wildfire in a week, this time in the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest in Manchester and Woodland Townships.

The Brickworks Fire was first discovered Sunday afternoon and burned at total of 315 acres off Pasadena Road and was declared full contained Monday morning.

No roads are closed Monday and seven structures that were threatened earlier are now safe.

Firefighters employed a "fight fire with fire" strategy of starting backfires to help contain the flames. Division Forest Fire Warden Shawn Judy told 6 ABC Action News that 10 fire trucks, tractors and plows were used on Sunday.

Showers & thunderstorms could help

A light southwesterly wind could send the smell of smoke into Burlington, Ocean and Monmouth counties, according to New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow.

Showers and heavy thunderstorms could help firefighters later Monday.

"We are tracking the likelihood of scattered showers and thunderstorms moving through that area Monday afternoon. If all goes well, some heavy rain will really help firefighting efforts," Zarrow said.

What does the fire's name mean?

The fire takes its name from the former Brooksbrae Brick Factory located in the Whiting section of Manchester on the eastern edge of the forest not far from where the fire started. The remaining walls are now covered in graffiti.

The fire as of Monday is smaller than the recent fire that consumed more than 13,500 acres in Wharton State Forest. That fire rivaled the state's largest wildfire in 15 years, a 14,000-acre fire near the Warren Grove firing range in 2007.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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