By Abdullahi Lukman
A wildfire that ignited on Tuesday, April 22, in Ocean County, New Jersey, has rapidly spread to 12,000 acres, threatening over 1,000 structures and forcing thousands of residents to evacuate.
The blaze, known as the Jones Road Wildfire, is currently only 35% contained, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
The fire began at 9:45 a.m. ET on Tuesday and quickly grew, fueled by dry vegetation and low humidity. By Wednesday morning, the wildfire had expanded from a few hundred acres to 8,500 acres overnight.
Fire crews, including aerial support, were quickly dispatched to the scene from the Cedar Bridge Fire Tower near Barnegat Township. Despite these efforts, the fire continued to spread.
New Jersey’s Commissioner of Environmental Protection, Shawn LaTourette, expressed concern that the fire could become the largest in New Jersey in 20 years.
“Thanks to the incredible, heroic work of our New Jersey fire service folks, homes and lives have been saved, and we’ve truly averted a major disaster,” LaTourette said. Thankfully, no injuries have been reported thus far.
The fire, located south of Toms River along the Garden State Parkway, caused significant disruption on Tuesday evening when flames jumped the highway, forcing its closure.
The Garden State Parkway is one of New Jersey’s busiest roads and remained shut down for several hours, leaving commuters stranded and creating further challenges for evacuation efforts.
Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, acting as governor while Gov. Phil Murphy is out of the country, declared a state of emergency in Ocean County on Wednesday.
The declaration allows for additional resources to be deployed to fight the blaze.
Evacuations have been widespread, with thousands of people fleeing the flames. One evacuee, Kelly Mendoza, described the terrifying scene: “Smoke and everything was right in my backyard. Everything was covered in black ashes.”
Firefighters are continuing to battle the wildfire, with officials warning that the situation could worsen as the fire spreads further across the region.
Emergency responders are working to protect nearby structures, while the public remains on alert.
