New Jersey wildfire grows to 12,000 acres as officials warn flames will likely rage for days

Yahoo

23-04-2025

BARNEGAT, N.J. — The Jones Road Wildfire could be one of the worst wildfires that New Jersey has seen in years after it torched at least 12,000 acres in less than a day, officials said, warning that the flames could rage for days.
About 5,000 residents were forced to flee the fast-moving flames of the wildfire that sparked Tuesday in the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area near Barnegat Township in Ocean County. They have since been given the all-clear to return home, but officials urged people to remain vigilant as thick smoke continues to choke communities close to the Jersey Shore.
As of Wednesday afternoon, flames had consumed about 12,000 acres and were 35% contained.
"We fully expect that number will grow, that we will see, ultimately, when all is said and done, a greater number of acreage affected, and this could very well end up being the largest wildfire in New Jersey in 20 years," Commissioner of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Shawn Latourette said.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection issued an Air Quality Action Day for Wednesday, advising older and young residents to limit strenuous activities and outdoor time. Emergency management and Red Cross teams are handing out N95 masks at the Barnegat Township Recreation Center.
At a news conference Wednesday, officials warned that the wildfire is still not under control and that it could continue to burn into the upcoming weekend.
They added that there have been no injuries or deaths so far, and no single-family homes have been destroyed. However, the blaze scorched at least one commercial structure and several other outbuildings.
The situation could have been far worse, however, as officials said more than 1,300 homes were being threatened by the flames.
"It was a dangerous wildfire, moving quickly. It's pretty extreme conditions right now," said New Jersey Division Forest Fire Warden Trevor Raynor. "April 20th is about the peak of spring fire season."
New Jersey Acting Gov. Tahesha Way declared a state of emergency in Ocean County that went into effect Wednesday morning.
FOX Weather Correspondent Katie Byrne was in Lacey Township on Wednesday and spoke with Mayor Peter Curatolo, who said that a business in town was destroyed.
"This was one of our great businesses, and our industrial park is where it happened," Curatolo said on FOX Weather. "This is really heartbreaking. You can see the devastation. You don't need me to explain it to you."
Curatolo said that there was a shelter set up for evacuated residents, which lost power as flames were tearing through the community.
"I had informed seniors in there," he said. "I had people with specialized medical needs, and I knew that we were ill-equipped. But for the surrounding mayors … all of them worked together, and we were able to get our residents out of that shelter with no power, no cots, no nurses, no meds. And we were able to bring them to where all those provisions were."
The Jones Road Wildfire was discovered about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, and resources were immediately dispatched, fire officials said. However, the initial fire attack failed due to the erratic fire behavior. The fire then exploded in size to where it stands today.
Raynor said the drought coupled wth low humidity, winds and sunny weather made it a difficult firefight.
The busy Garden State Parkway was fully reopened early Wednesday morning after the dangerous conditions in the area forced officials to shut down a 17-mile stretch while the fire raged. Photos shared by the Garden State Parkway showed smoke covering the highway and flames nearing the road earlier Tuesday. Barnegat Police advised residents to plan an alternate travel route to work for the Wednesday commute.
Jersey Central Power & Light (JCPL) cut power along the Garden State Parkway due to the wildfire, according to the Barnegat Police Department. As of Wednesday, more than 9,000 customers were without power in Ocean County, according to FindEnergy.com. When the shutoffs occurred on Tuesday, more than 25,000 were without power.
JCPL teams are checking equipment on Wednesday to begin restoring service.
Barnegat police said most customers in the township should have their power back Wednesday evening.
The cause of the Jones Road Wildfire is under investigation.
Drought levels in Ocean County are abnormally dry to moderate, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, but have been worsening over the past week. Nearly 80% of the Garden State is facing some level of drought.