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OCEAN COUNTY, New Jersey – A 37-year-old Ocean County man is behind bars, charged with arson, after authorities say he fired a gun, sparking the Shotgun wildfire in Jackson Township.

Richard Shashaty, of Brick Township, reportedly turned himself in to police Saturday.

Investigators say the wildfire burned about 350 acres of land and started on November 6. It was caused by magnesium fragments from a shotgun.

The wildfire forced the evacuation of people from nearby homes along Stump Road.

MORE RELATED COVERAGE: More than 800 acres burn in uncontrolled wildfires across the state this week

Officials later identified Shashaty as the person responsible for firing the shotgun, causing the fire.

He is being held at the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.