00:00Crews with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service are already on high alert as we head into fall.
00:05The state is coming off one of the busiest seasons on record with thousands of acres threatening homes.
00:10Now they're worried this fall could be on a similar path.
00:13We had several fires over the holiday weekend.
00:17Despite some rain, much of New Jersey remains dry.
00:20Conditions that have fire danger arriving weeks ahead of schedule.
00:24The compounded effect of continual drying with leaf drop and the fact that the vegetation is losing its moisture are going to be factors that contribute to fire spread, fire starts.
00:37Typically, fire season peaks in mid-October.
00:40But this year, officials say the danger is already here, driven by weather conditions that make flames more likely to spread.
00:46When humidity starts to drop, that allows the vegetation to ignite faster.
00:52We're looking at how the storms and the systems that are moving through and across the country affect the wind patterns of fires.
01:02The Forest Fire Service is pre-positioning more crews in vulnerable areas, staffing extra engines and stepping up public outreach to stress prevention.
01:10But there's no true off-season for firefighters because New Jersey crews are also being called out west.
01:16We're lucky in the sense that when they're asking for resources, it's usually in the summer, July and August, you know, when we're not busy.
01:26Sometimes we're being asked to stay in those places through October.
01:31And as those requests grow, officials say sharing resources is critical because one day, New Jersey may need the same support.
01:39For AccuWeather, I'm Allie Reed.
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