WASHINGTON TWP. - Firefighters are continuing to battle a large fire in a remote part of Wharton State Forest in Burlington County and plan to take an aerial survey Friday morning to assess the blaze.
The 1,000-acre fire, which is about two miles north of the historic Batsto Village, was deemed about 30 percent contained as of 10 p.m. Thursday. No one has been hurt and no property has been damaged.
Trails around Batsto Village will be closed Friday along with the back roads in the general area. Hikers are asked to avoid the area.
Smoke from the fire can be smelled as far away as Long Beach Island, according to the Ocean County Sheriff's Office. People in Atlantic County have also reported they smelled smoke.
A helicopter flight from Coyle Field in Barnegat to assess the blaze is scheduled for Friday morning, according to New Jersey State Forest Fire spokesman Robert Geist said.
About 50 firefighters from the New Jersey State Forest Fire Service as well as local departments are battling the fire, which was spotted from a tower around 1 p.m. Thursday and grew to 1,000 acres through the afternoon and evening.
Firefighters will face challenging conditions as temperatures are expected to climb into the mid-90s this afternoon.
"It's hot, which makes fire fighting difficult," Geist said. "On the plus side, the humidity is hampering the ability of the fire to spread and we don't have a whole lot of wind."
Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.