Ocean County monitoring smoke from Pinelands wildfire
The smoke is visible for miles and the smell at times is reaching all the way to the beaches.
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Dry conditions in the Pinelands continue to help fuel a fire burning now for five days inside the Joint Base MDL complex.
The smoke is visible for miles and the smell at times is reaching all the way to the beaches.
On Monday, the smoke resembled a mushroom cloud originating from the fire burning near the Ocean/Burlington County border.
People who live along Ocean County's beach communities reported smelling the smoke mostly during the morning hours.
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The fire began Friday afternoon and continues to burn, according to a social media post by Joint Base MDL.
The Ocean County Health Department continues tracking the smoke, which has impacted different communities depending on the wind direction.
"If there are any irritants, if you can feel anything in your throat, anything in your sinuses or in your sinus cavity or if you have a more difficult time breathing, those are some indicators that you may want to close the windows and try to get into some fresh air," said Dan Regenye, the public health coordinator for the Ocean County Health Department.
"It would have to be pretty intense but everybody is different. Everybody has different thresholds," he said.
According to Joint Base MDL, the fire is expected to remain within the military perimeter but could burn for several days because of the ongoing drought conditions.
