Burlington County forest fire grows to 10,000 acres

CHATSWORTH, N.J. (AP) - Authorities say fire whipped by high winds has spread over thousands of acres of state forest land in the Pinelands of New Jersey.

State environmental protection department officials say the blaze was reported Saturday afternoon in Penn State Forest in Woodland Township, Burlington County near the Ocean County border.

Department spokesman Larry Hajna said Sunday afternoon the blaze had grown to 10,000 acres with about 75 percent containment. Officials said plumes of smoke were visible from as far as Freehold, about 40 miles away.

Hajna says a portion of route 72, the main road across the Pinelands, has been closed, but no homes or businesses are endangered and no injuries or mandatory evacuations have been reported. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.