Sunday, September 3, 2023 11:40PM
LACEY TOWNSHIP, Ocean County — A wildfire is burning in Ocean County, New Jersey on Sunday in the same area of a deadly plane crash that took place Saturday night.
The blaze is located at Miller Air Park in Lacey Township, according to the New Jersey State Forest Fire Service.
Officials say the wildfire has grown to 600 acres and is 50% contained as of 7 p.m. Sunday.
Approximately 25 structures are threatened by the flames, and several roads are closed.
Dover Road is closed from Lacey Road to Pinewald Keswick Road, and Mule Road is closed from Pinewald Keswick Road.
The plane crash took place just after 10 p.m. Saturday on Mule and Lacey roads in Lacey Township, officials say.
It crashed approximately half a mile southwest of the Ocean County Airport in Bayville.
The plane, which was a Cirrus SR20, took off from the Monmouth Executive Airport in Farmingdale, according to NTSB officials.
The pilot was the only person on board when the plane went down, and local officials have not yet released their identity.
NTSB officials did confirm this was a fatal crash.
It is unclear if the plane crash sparked the wildfire. A State Forest Fire Service spokesperson said the blaze started about the same time and in the same area as the crash.
The NTSB has opened an investigation into the two incidents.
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