A massive wildfire is still burning in New Jersey on Wednesday, covering more than 11,500 acres and prompting the evacuation of 5,000 people in what officials believe is the biggest blaze in recent memory.
The Jones Road Wildfire began in the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management area in Ocean County on Tuesday morning. By 10.30pm that night, the fire had consumed 8,500 acres, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
Once the fire began, 25 mph winds fueled its growth and spread it around the region.
As of Wednesday morning, acting New Jersey Governor Tahesha Way declared a state of emergency in response to the fire, as officials confirmed that 30 percent had been contained.
Shawn LaTourette, the state’s Commissioner of Environmental Protection, warned that the blaze could “very well end up being the biggest wildfire in New Jersey in 20 years.”
In an average year, approximately 7,000 acres of New Jersey’s forests are consumed by fire. The Jones Road Wildfire blew past the yearly average in a day, CNN reports.
Despite its size and intensity, LaTourette said the response of state workers has prevented a “major disaster.”
“Thanks to the incredible, heroic work of the good men and women of our New Jersey Forest Fire Service, folks’ homes and lives have been saved and we’ve truly averted a major disaster,” LaTourette said. “Now this wildfire is not under full and complete control. We still have a lot of work to do to achieve complete containment of the wildfire.”
Fire officials estimate that the blaze will continue to burn for a few more days and may spread, but likely in unpopulated parts of the state.
Shortly after its rapid expansion, fire officials called for the evacuation of approximately 5,000 residents from Ocean and Lacey Townships in Ocean County. There inferno also threatened 1,320 structures, although no structural damage was reported in Ocean Township. Lacey Township did report some damage.
All of the mandatory evacuation orders were lifted by 6:30am on Wednesday morning.
The New Jersey Forest Service said one commercial building was destroyed, as well as multiple outbuildings and vehicles. A full damage assessment is now underway.
More than 25,000 customers were without electricity Wednesday morning after officials turned it off to keep fire crews safe, NBC News reports.
Jersey Central Power and Light said that its crews were cleared on Wednesday to assess its lines for fire damage. Once it has made sure its equipment is in working order, power should be restored to those still in the dark. Residents in Lacey Township should have their power restored by Wednesday afternoon, according to the company.
Portions of the Garden State Parkway were closed due to the fire causing a major traffic slowdown, but have reopened as of early Wednesday morning.
High fire risk conditions persisted in central and southern New Jersey on Wednesday.
New Jersey is currently under an official drought warning, and is experiencing “well-below average precipitation throughout the winter” according to a state press release issued last month.
In what is likely a relief to firefighters, winds this week are forecast to be slow — between 5 and 10 mph — which should help starve the blaze.
Smoke from the fire is expected to impact areas southern New Jersey, which includes Atlantic City. By Wednesday night, shifting winds are expected to start blowing the Jersey smoke toward New York City.
