The fight continues against a wildfire in Ocean County, New Jersey that has consumed thousands of acres since it erupted Tuesday.
OCEAN TWP., N.J. (WPVI) — A State of Emergency has been declared in Ocean County as a raging wildfire continues to burn, according to Acting New Jersey Governor Tahesha Way. The fire, which began Tuesday night, has consumed thousands of acres and forced some residents to flee their homes.
Way, who has stepped in as Gov. Phil Murphy travels to Poland, posted on social media, saying there has been no loss of life and no homes have been damaged.
All evacuation orders have been lifted, and the Garden State Parkway and Route 9 have reopened in both directions as of Wednesday morning, according to officials.
A press conference on the fire is scheduled for 11 am. Wednesday.
What we know about the fire
The “Jones Road Wildfire” was reported Tuesday afternoon at the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area in Barnegat Township. By the evening, the flames spread into both Ocean and Lacey townships in the county.
In an update just before 11 p.m., the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said the blaze grew to 8,500 acres with 10% containment.
The fire has burned more than 13 square miles (34 square kilometers) of land, fire officials said.
A raging wildfire in Ocean County, New Jersey, consumed thousands of acres Tuesday night, forcing residents to flee from their homes.
Submit your Videos and Photos to 6abc
Chopper 6 was overhead Tuesday night as crews fought the inferno, as the smoky haze brought a stretch of the Garden State Parkway, one of New Jersey’s busiest highways, to a halt.
Chopper 6 overhead as NJ wildfire grows to 3,200 acres on April 22, 2025.
Officials said approximately 1,320 structures were being threatened and that damage assessments were still underway in other areas.
Chopper 6: Crews battling raging wildfire in Ocean County
Evacuations
As of 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, all evacuation orders have been lifted. Residents can return home but are advised to use caution when traveling as heavy smoke remains in the area.
This includes Brookville and all the residences west of the Garden State Parkway, all the way to Route 9 ( Greenbriar, Laurelwyke, Birchwood, Cornerstone, Dogtown and anyone else that was mandated to evacuate.)
According to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, 3,000 residents were forced to evacuate.
Neighbors share videos of Jones Road Wildfire in New Jersey
Debbie Schaffer, of Waretown, was one of those who had to leave.
“It’s a little scary… like I didn’t have an emergency bag packed, so I was kind of walking in circles knowing I had to get out of there, but trying to think, ‘What do I need?'” she recalled.
Power outages
Barnegat Township police say Jersey Central Power & Light de-energized all lines in and out of our Oyster Creek substation at the request of the Forest Fire Service.
“This is for the safety of crews battling the fire,” the company said.
Approximately 25,000 JCP&L customers are affected by this forced outage, JCP&L said in a statement.
“We will work to restore power to customers as we are safely able, including through tying areas to neighboring lines where safe and possible,” the statement continued.
Power is expected to remain out with no timetable for return. Crews are actively surveying their infrastructure for damage.
Closures on the Parkway
The Parkway has been reopened, however, other closures remain in place until further notice, including the following:
- Rt. 532 (Wells Mills Road) between Rt. 72 and the Garden State Parkway
- Bryant Road is closed between Wells Mills Road (Rt. 532) and Rt. 539
- Jones Road is closed between Rt. 532 and Bryant Road
- Closures on secondary and tertiary roadways
Get real-time traffic updates at 6abc.com/traffic.
Fire officials are also reminding residents to not fly recreational drones near the fire zones.
“If YOU fly, WE can’t!” the New Jersey Fire Service posted on Facebook.
The FAA often implements Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) around wildfires to protect aircraft that are involved in the firefighting operation.
Officials say flying a drone near a wildfire can be dangerous and cost lives by delaying their response.
“During a wildfire, our aircraft fly low to the ground, often at the same altitude that a drone would fly. If a drone is detected flying over or near a wildfire, all Forest Fire Service air support will be grounded – hampering suppression and observation efforts,” the post said. “Please do your part and prevent interfering with wildfire suppression by staying grounded.”
Forest fires are a common occurrence in the Pine Barrens, a 1.1 million-acre (445,000-hectare) state and federally protected reserve about the size of the Grand Canyon lying halfway between Philadelphia to the west and the Atlantic coast to the east.
The area had been under a severe drought until recently, when early spring rains helped dampen the region.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The site of the fire is near an alpaca farm. The farm said in a Facebook post that the property wasn’t threatened and all of the animals were safe.
The blaze is the second major forest fire in the region in less than a week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
The fight continues against a wildfire in Ocean County, New Jersey that has consumed thousands of acres since it erupted Tuesday.