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.

(Reuters) -A New Jersey teenager has been charged with arson in connection with a wildfire in the Pinelands region that has already scorched 15,000 acres and could grow into the largest blaze in the state since 2007, prosecutors said on Thursday.

A 19-year-old was accused of setting wooden pallets on fire and leaving before the fire was extinguished, sparking what could become the largest blaze in the state in nearly 20 years.