To prevent NJ wildfires, understand how they start and spread It's peak wildfire season in New Jersey through May. Nearly all of the state's wildfires (99%) are caused by humans, through mostly accidents, said Gregory McLaughlin, the state fire warden and chief of New Jersey Forest Fire Service. In 2020, the state Forest Fire Service responded to more than 1,000 wildfires, 12 of which were sparked by natural causes such as lightning. In total, those wildfires in New Jersey burned 4,796 acres of land last year. Get our free mobile app So far in 2021, McLaughlin said the Forest fire Service has responded to 287 wildfires across the state, which burned approximately 451 acres.