PHOTOS: 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.
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 a.m. on Wednesday, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said the blaze grew to 11,500 acres with 30% containment. The fire has burned more than 13 square miles (34 square kilometers) of land, fire officials said. There is an Air Quality Alert in South Jersey due to the wildfire smoke. The smoke from the wildfire is so heavy that it is being picked up by radar.
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. Officials said approximately 1,320 structures were being threatened and that damage assessments were still underway in other areas.
