Smoke from Pine Barrens blaze shuts Route 206, schools closed

A section of Route 206 in Shamong, Burlington County, has been closed again this morning because of smoke from the Pine Barrens fire, New Jersey State Police said.

Also, schools in Hammonton are closed today due to the smoke, officials said.

The closure is around Atsion Road and includes several miles of Route 206. The highway was closed until yesterday afternoon because of heavy smoke from the 1,900-acre blaze, which began Tuesday afternoon.

The closure this morning is expected to last for several hours. The smell of smoke from the blaze has now drifted towards Philadelphia.

Fire officials said yesterday that the blaze was half-contained. The cause remains under investigation.