Meadowlands Brush Fire Under Control [VIDEO]

A brush fire that burned nearly 100 acres in the Meadowlands along the western spur of the New Jersey Turnpike was brought under control Wednesday night.

Firefighters say the fire, which took over 100 firefighters from 20 communities to bring under control, was one of the most stubborn they’ve seen according to WABC.

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The threat of forest fires continues today as conditions remain dry with low humidity and no rain in sight. Experts say that the first three months of 2012 are among the driest on record – and we could be facing a drought.

The Meadowlands fire caused traffic to be diverted onto the Turnpike’s eastern spur during the afternoon commute creating slow traffic throughout the area. Large black plumes of smoke could be seen for miles as the fire burned into the evening.

Adding to the difficulty in fighting the fire was the fact that firefighters could not go into the marsh. Instead, they had to light controlled fires, or back burns to destroy any vegetation that could fuel the fire.

Investigators believe the dry brush, coupled with warmer weather, may have sparked the fire and they do not believe it was suspicious.