Hundreds of acres of state forest burned Thursday into Friday morning as crews worked to contain the blaze.
Investigators say the Tower at Batsto Village spotted the smoke and alerted officials to the scene. The fire is in a wooded area of Wharton State Forest in Camden County near the border with Burlington County where there are no residences or structures.
Around 40 personnel from the state forest fire service rushed to the scene, using mechanized equipment, water tenders and bulldozers to battle the blaze. No planes were used.
The Department of Environmental Protection said that 90-percent of the blaze was under control by late Friday morning.
No injuries were reported.
Back in 2008, a wildfire in the same area spread to nearly 2,000 acres before it was contained. It was fueled by dry and windy weather.
That fire got so intense it burned six to eight inches below ground. The smell and smoke was a real annoyance for folks in Burlington, Atlantic and Camden Counties.
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Officials say the most recent forest fire is one of several hundred that have happened this year and it's not unusual or dangerous at this time. Crews say that they are confident it will be under control by Friday night.
Due to smoldering, people in the area could smell smoke for a few days after the fire is out, officials said.
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