A New Jersey wildfire has torched about 900 acres … and counting

An out-of-control wildfire has scorched about 900 acres and is threatening buildings near Little Egg Harbor Township, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said.

The inferno was getting dangerously close to about 100 structures near the coastal township north of Atlantic City, the fire service posted on Facebook late Sunday.

Voluntary evacuations have been announced, and Pinelands Middle School is being used as a shelter, the post said.

As of Sunday night, the blaze was 0% contained, Fire Warden Rob Gill told CNN affiliate WPVI. Its cause is under investigation, he said.

In New Jersey, peak wildfire season lasts from mid-March through May. Nearly all blazes are caused by accidents, negligence or arson, according to the state’s Environmental Protection Department.

Last year, wildfires torched about 4,800 acres in New Jersey.

The wildfire near Little Egg Harbor Township was first spotted Sunday around 4 p.m. ET. It’s burning in an area with limited accessibility inside the Bass River State Forest, the fire service said.

The fire is east of the Garden State Parkway and very close to the Ocean and Burlington county lines.

To help protect some of the structures, fire personnel are conducting burnout operations by setting small, controlled fires in some areas along Route 9, which is closed because of smoke.

Little Egg Harbor Township is a shoreline community in Ocean County, New Jersey, and is about 30 miles north of Atlantic City.