By: Yuritza Arroyo
Authorities in Ocean County announced that on February 20, at approximately 2:20 p.m., the Berkeley Township Police Department and the Beachwood Borough Fire Department responded to a wooded area inside Johnson’s Pit, located in Berkeley Township, for a report of a brush fire.
According to officials, upon arrival, emergency personnel discovered and extinguished a small brush fire.
An investigation by the Ocean County Fire Marshals Office and New Jersey State Forest Fire Service determined that there were three separate fires, including one inside an unoccupied tent.
Officials say a thorough investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Unit, Berkeley Township Police Department Detective Bureau, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit determined that the fire had three separate points of origin and were intentionally set.
An open flame to available combustibles cannot be eliminated as to the cause.
This remains an active and ongoing investigation, and anyone in possession of information concerning this fire is urged to contact the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.