New Jersey and National Park Service Firefighters battled a massive brush fire atop Mount Tammany, on the New Jersey side of the Delaware Water Gap, on Sunday night.
According to offcials from The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, heavy fire broke out just before 1 p.m. sending crews to the scene to investigate.
Officials say Jersey State Forest Fire Service requested a helicopter that arrived and dropped water on the blaze, but the fire continued in the last evening hours.
Just before 8 p.m. Sunday, heavy fire could be seen for miles in New Jersey and Pennsylvania earlier Sunday afternoon.
Officials say heavy traffic backed up in both directions into New Jersey and Pennsylvania along Interstate 80, which goes through the water gap at the base of the mountain.
**Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area officials released the following statement:**
"Wildland firefighters from state and federal agencies are currently battling a blaze on Mt. Tammany off of the Red Dot Trail on the NJ side of the Delaware Water Gap. In addition to hand crews making their way up the mountain, air support is en route. Visitors are asked to avoid the area.
Visitors who are already on the Red Dot and Blue Blazed trails can still hike down, however, both trails are currently closed to hikers heading UP the mountain.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.