A fast-moving wildfire that broke out Tuesday in Ocean County, New Jersey, has grown to over 12,000 acres, forced the closure of a major highway, threatened more than 1,000 homes and sent thousands of residents scrambling to safety.
Dubbed the Jones Road Fire, the blaze was 35% contained as of Wednesday afternoon, officials with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported. But with dry underbrush and low humidity fueling its spread, state environmental regulators warned that it could become the largest wildfire New Jersey has seen in two decades.
“Thanks to the courageous, heroic efforts of our New Jersey Forest Fire Service personnel, lives and properties have been spared, and a potentially catastrophic disaster was averted,” said Shawn LaTourette, New Jersey’s Commissioner of Environmental Protection.
Wildfires RAGE across New Jersey
Three thousand residents in New Jersey have been evacuated due to a wildfire that has spread across approximately 1,300 hectares. 25,000 people have lost power pic.twitter.com/wCJTy4hBQu
— ℂ𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕦𝕖𝕧𝕒𝕣𝕒 ★ (@cheguwera) April 23, 2025
No injuries have been reported so far, LaTourette confirmed.
– Rapid Growth Overnight
The fire was first spotted at around 9:45 a.m. Tuesday from the Cedar Bridge Fire Tower near Barnegat Township. Initial estimates