2 weeks Ago By Michaela Althouse
New Jersey crews are battling an 8,500-acre fire in Ocean County that's shut down major roadways and caused evacuations and power outages for thousands of residents. The blaze, dubbed the Jones Wildfire, was only 10% contained as of Tuesday night, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said. No injuries have been reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
As of Wednesday morning, 1,320 structures in Barnegat, Ocean and Lacey Townships are under threat and 25,000 residents are without electricity. The wildfire broke out around 10 a.m.
Tuesday, and officials said that 150 acres were burning as of 2 p.m. But it spread quickly, growing to 3,200 acres by 8 p.
m. and then to its last reported size as of 10:45 p.m.
Approximately 3,000 people were asked to leave their homes, but Lacey Township Police said all evacuation orders have been lifted and residents can return to their homes as of 6:30 a.m., although heavy smoke remains.
Portions of the Garden State Parkways and Route 9 were also closed, although they have since reopened. The Forest Fire Service asked Jersey Central Power & Light to shut off power lines for the safety of firefighters, causing the outages. Local, county and state fire services are battling the blaze with bulldozers, fire engines, a helicopter that can drop 300 gallons of water and an air tanker that can drop 600 gallons of water, the Asbury Park Press reported .
April and May are peak wildfire season in New Jersey, and officials have been warning about the lack of rainfall that set prime conditions for forest fires. Last fall, most of the area was in a prolonged drought , and much of South Jersey is still considered either abnormally dry or in a moderate drought, according to the U.S.
Drought Monitor . Over 1,200 acres of forest burned in the first three months of 2025, which is a 266% increase over the same period last year..
