Second person charged with arson in New Jersey Pine Barrens fire

A second person has been charged with arson in the wildfire in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens that has grown into the state’s second-largest fire in nearly two decades.

Prosecutors said Friday that a 17-year-old was arrested and charged with arson, aggravated arson and hindering apprehension. His name was not released because he is a juvenile.

The fire that has been burning for nearly two weeks is 80% contained, according to the state Forest Fire Service. The blaze in southern New Jersey’s Ocean County has spread across 24 square miles (62 square kilometers). No injuries have been reported.

A 19-year-old man from Waretown was charged with arson a week ago. Prosecutors say Joseph Kling set wood pallets on fire and left the area. On Friday, prosecutors said Kling and a few other people took the pallets from a recycling center, drove to a heavily wooded area and used gasoline to start the fire.

Kling’s attorney said at a detention hearing Friday that Kling did not intend to set the wildfire or destroy any property.

The Pine Barrens sit between Philadelphia and the Atlantic coast, a region with quick-draining sandy soil and trees with still-developing leaves where winds can kick up, drying out the forest floor.

Firefighters have been contending with low humidity and the aftermath of a monthslong drought.