LACEY, NJ – A massive wildfire burning in central New Jersey has damaged multiple buildings and prompted evacuations for thousands.

The fire, named the Jones Road wildfire, erupted the morning April 22 in southern Ocean County and spread 8,500 acres by evening. It was 10% contained as of 10:30 p.m. that day, according to the New Jersey Fire Service.

It was threatening 1,320 structures and forced evacuations for over 3,000 people in the county.

In Lacey Township, the fire ignited three buildings in the industrial park, including one that was deemed a total loss, Mayor Peter Curatolo said. About 35 members of an age-restricted living community were evacuated to a shelter, but Curatolo said residents would need another place to go quickly.

The morning of April 23, police in Lacey said all evacuation orders had been lifted there.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Dawn Kramer of Lacey told the Asbury Park Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, that as the fire spread, the smoke got worse and the sirens louder. She didn’t decide to evacuate until she started to see the glow from the blaze.

“It wasn’t bad until I saw the flames,” Kramer said.  “Then it got real.”

Kramer packed up her important papers and gathered up her daughter, two cats and three dogs. She then headed to her mother’s house in Little Egg Harbor Township about 20 miles away.

Kramer said there was so much smoke, she couldn’t see the Garden State Parkway as she drove past. 

Where is the fire burning?

The fire is located near Ocean and Lacey Townships in Ocean County, New Jersey, according to the Forest Fire Service. It is near the state’s east coast.

The fire caused major roads to close temporarily. A stretch of the Garden State Parkway and Route 9 reopened on April 23, the Lacey Township Police Department said.

Residents in the dark; when will power be restored?

Over 25,400 customers in the area near the fire have lost power, according to Jersey Central Power & Light. The utility company said all power lines in and out of the Oyster Creek substation in Lacey Township were de-energized just after 6 p.m. on April 22.

“This is for the safety of crews battling the fire,” the utilities company said.

Police in Lacey said the utility was in the process of inspecting its equipment and re-energizing the lines on April 23.

Contributing: Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY; Ken Serrano, Erik Larsen and Lisa Robyn Kruse, Asbury Park Press