Perched 100 feet in the air, New Jersey fire observers continue centuries-old work

Each morning, Brian Gerber Jr. climbs up 150 metal stairs to a trap door that opens into his 7-by-7 foot office with a breathtaking view of the Wharton State Forest in South Jersey. Here he spends eight hours a day looking for smoke.

“It’s awesome,” said Gerber, a fire observer with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. “I just love the view, it changes every morning you come up here. On a crystal clear day you can see smoke almost anywhere in the state.”