Worsening climate change has led to more severe forest fires, which are costly to put out

The fire in Wharton State Forest is being contained but may take days to extinguish

State officials say this is the largest forest fire in NJ since 2019

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service on Monday prohibited all fires in wooded areas of Warren, Sussex, Morris, Passaic, Hunterdon and Somerset counties.

NJ Forest Fire Service Supervising Forest Firewarden Steven Holmes says warm, dry conditions increase the risk of fires in the state.