A rapidly spreading wildfire in Ocean County, New Jersey, has scorched more than 13,500 acres since Tuesday, prompting mass evacuations, structural damage, power outages, and air quality warnings as smoke drifts into the New York City region. State officials said the blaze, now 50% contained, is among the most destructive wildfires in New Jersey in two decades.
Thousands of residents, including approximately 5,000 in Waretown and Lacey, were forced to flee as the Jones Road Fire grew from just five acres to a vast inferno over the Pine Barrens. "New Jersey has some of the most volatile wildland fire fuels in the entire country," said Bill Donnelly, chief of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. "These Pine Barrens out here are the exact same type of fuel model [as California]. They're just like having napalm spread across the ground."
While no injuries have been reported, three commercial buildings in Lacey's industrial park caught fire and one was destroyed. "All I know is that it moved pretty quick," said Bob Nosti, owner of Liberty Door and Awning, whose building was reduced to rubble. "Then all of a sudden, my building was gone an hour later."
As thick smoke reached into residential areas, Jersey Central Power & Light cut power to 25,000 customers Tuesday evening. The Garden State Parkway and several backroads were closed, stranding motorists in gridlocked traffic amid a backdrop of emergency sirens and a smoke-filled sky. By late Wednesday, power had been restored to most areas and many evacuees had returned home, though Route 532 remained partially restricted.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection confirmed that fire crews from Camden, Burlington, Gloucester, Ocean, and Monmouth counties responded. "I would say it was hundreds of fire trucks, without a doubt here," said Donnelly.
With shifting winds pushing smoke toward New York City and Long Island, air quality alerts were issued across the region, in effect until midnight Thursday. While officials emphasized this event won't rival the 2023 Canadian wildfire smoke crisis, pollution levels may pose a risk to sensitive groups.
Shawn LaTourette, commissioner of the state DEP, warned of the "wildland urban interface" risk in the Pine Barrens. "We've truly averted a major disaster," LaTourette said, though he noted the fire could continue until forecasted rain arrives late Friday or Saturday.
