New Jersey is entering the busy spring fire season, with active fires already breaking out in the state.

One fire in Gloucester County's Franklin Township burned over 191 acres before it was contained Thursday morning.

As Ralph Mugloo prepares for his busy lunch rush at the family-owned One Stop Shop Deli, he can’t help but remember how close the flames came to destroying the rural shop and surrounding homes last fall.

“We never thought about it before unless it happened over here and now, we are a bit concerned,” said Mugloo.

According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, crews battled more than 380 wildfires since January that burned nearly 1,200 acres, a massive increase from one year ago.

“I've been seeing the firefighters doing the controlled burning but they do it every year,” said Mugloo.

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service usually conducts prescribed burns this time of year, which helps to eliminate dry forest ground fuels and helps prevent the spread of wildfires.

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service says that because of the ongoing firefighting efforts, as well as dry, windy, conditions, it has only set controlled burns to 10% of normal acreage by this time in the season.

The latest drought monitor shows all of New Jersey in moderate drought, with worsening conditions south and east.

The November Jackson Township Shotgun fire followed the driest October on record – that was followed by the third driest January on record.

Short-term fire risks can be helped with heavy rainfall, but even then, it only takes a couple of days of sunshine and wind to make conditions ripe again.

“The fires, they don't happen on their own. Somebody goes out here and they have picnics or something else. Dumb stuff - that's how it starts,” said Mugloo.