A New Jersey man has been charged with arson in connection with what authorities say was a 350-acre wildfire.
Richard Shashaty, 37, of Brick Township, was charged with a firearms violation. according to a news release by the Ocean County Prosecutor and other officials.
The fire, in central New Jersey’s Jackson Township, broke out around noon on Nov. 6 near the Central Jersey Rifle Range on Stump Tavern Road, fire officials said.
A wildfire has broken out in Ocean County, New Jersey.
WPVI
The fire was called Shotgun Fire.
Investigators concluded that the fire started behind a berm at the rifle club and was caused by magnesium fragments from a “Dragon’s Breath” 12-gauge shotgun round, which ignited the berm materials.
No incendiary or tracer ammunition is allowed to be fired in New Jersey, officials said.
Authorities said Shashaty was responsible for the shooting. On November 9, he handed himself over to the police.
It was Shotgun Fire one of several large fires It has flared up in New Jersey in recent days, fueled by unusually dry and windy conditions.
At a news conference Saturday about the two other wildfires in New Jersey, New Jersey Forest Fire Chief Bill Donnelly said firefighters responded to a total of 400 fires last month and about 40 fires between Friday and Saturday alone.
“Things have been dry. Crazy dry, honestly,” he said.
As for when firefighters will take a break, Donnelly said, “It’s up to Mother Nature, you know, when she brings the rain, we’re going to take a break. But until we see that there is, I don’t see a break. .”
Fires in New Jersey pushed smoke into New York, causing hazy skies hazardous air quality warnings.
