OCEAN TWP., N.J. (WPVI) — A raging wildfire in Ocean County, New Jersey, consumed thousands of acres Tuesday night, forcing some residents to flee their homes.
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.
Chopper 6 overhead as NJ wildfire grows to 3,200 acres on April 22, 2025.
What we know about the fire
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 p.m., the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said the blaze grew to 8,500 acres with 10% containment.
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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 are being threatened and that damage assessments were still underway in other areas.
A press conference on the fire is scheduled for Wednesday morning.
Chopper 6: Crews battling raging wildfire in Ocean County
Evacuations
As of 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, all evacuation orders have been lifted. Residents can return home but are advised to use caution when traveling as heavy smoke remains in the area.
This includes Brookville and all the residences west of the Garden State Parkway, all the way to Route 9 ( Greenbriar, Laurelwyke, Birchwood, Cornerstone, Dogtown and anyone else that was mandated to evacuate.)
According to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, 3,000 residents were forced to evacuated.
Debbie Schaffer, of Waretown, was one of those who had to leave.
“It’s a little scary… like I didn’t have an emergency bag packed, so I was kind of walking in circles knowing I had to get out of there, but trying to think, ‘What do I need?'” she recalled.
PICTURED: Tyler Granato, of Forked River, NJ, captured this image from a home as smoke from a nearby wildfire raged on in the distance.
Power outages
Barnegat Township police say Jersey Central Power & Light de-energized all lines in and out of our Oyster Creek substation at the request of the Forest Fire Service.
Approximately 25,000 JCP&L customers are affected by this forced outage, JCP&L said in a statement.
“We will work to restore power to customers as we are safely able, including through tying areas to neighboring lines where safe and possible,” the statement continued.
Power is expected to remain out with no timetable for return. Crews are actively surveying their infrastructure for damage.
Closures on the Parkway
The southbound lanes of the Parkway have been reopened between interchanges 69 and 63, and the northbound Parkway has reopened between interchanges 74 and 80.
Other closures remain in place until further notice, including the following:
- Rt. 532 (Wells Mills Road) between Rt. 72 and the Garden State Parkway
- Bryant Road is closed between Wells Mills Road (Rt. 532) and Rt. 539
- Jones Road is closed between Rt. 532 and Bryant Road
- Closures on secondary and tertiary roadways
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No injuries have been reported.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The site of the fire is near an alpaca farm. The farm said in a Facebook post that the property wasn’t threatened and all of the animals were safe.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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