(AP) - State forest fire staffers setting fires for a controlled burn have found skeletal remains in a wooded area of southern New Jersey.

Ocean County prosecutors say the remains were found shortly after 2 p.m. Monday in the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area in Jackson Township, but further details were not disclosed. They say an autopsy is planned to determine the identity of the remains and the cause and manner of death.

It's not known how long the remains may have been in the area.

The discovery came while the staffers were conducting a prescribed burn, which is done in colder months to eliminate material that could start a larger, uncontrolled fire in warmer months.