Police arrested Joseph Kling, 19, for allegedly starting the New Jersey wildfire that has burned more than 15,000 acres and is about 50% contained. Authorities say a joint investigation revealed Kling lit a bonfire using wooden palettes and left before it was fully extinguished.

Authorities arrested the 19-year-old from Waretown, New Jersey, and charged him with arson and aggravated arson in the fire that’s still burning in southern New Jersey that they described as started with “an improperly extinguished bonfire.”

A 19-year-old faces arson charges in connection to a southern New Jersey wildfire that has scorched at least 15,000 acres and prompted thousands of evacuations, officials said.