A wildfire in New Jersey broke out on Tuesday (April 22nd) around 12:30 pm and has since expanded and burned over 11,500 acres throughout Ocean County.
The fire started in the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area of Ocean County, and has been abut 30% contained by the New Jersey Forest Fire Service as off 11 am on Wednesday morning.
Earlier this morning, acting New Jersey Governor Tahesha Way declared a state of the emergency for the county.
“I am declaring a State of Emergency in Ocean County due to the Jones Road Wildfire in the Greenwood Forest Wildfire Management Area near Lacey, Ocean, and Barnegat Townships,” she wrote on X on Wednesday morning around 7 am.
“At this time, we have no loss of life and no homes have been harmed.”
Around 3 pm on Tuesday, an evacuation notice was put underway for everyone on Wells Mills Road from Bryant Road to the Garden State Parkway in Ocean Township, Ocean County.
Roughly 5,000 residents evacuated, before the notice eventually lifted as of 8 am Wednesday morning.
The fire blazed through the south part of Toms River along the Garden State Parkway, one of New Jersey’s most crucial highways. It even shut down the highly-trafficked highway overnight before re-opening this morning.
It also threatened more than 20 structures and left around 23,000 residents without power for hours as a safety precaution, according to a spokesperson for Jersey Central Power & Light.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
Locals are encouraged to stay vigilant to smoke if in the area and take necessary pre-caution when it comes to poor air quality in the region over the next few days.
Stay tuned here for more live updates as we receive them.