A wildfire in New Jersey exploded to 13,250 acres after igniting Tuesday in Ocean County and threatening more than 1,000 structures, shutting down a major highway and causing thousands of people to flee the flames.
By Wednesday afternoon, officials said firefighters were gaining the upper hand on the blaze. The Jones Road Wildfire was 50% contained as of 7 p.m. ET, according to New Jersey Forest Fire Service officials.
Shawn LaTourette, New Jersey’s commissioner of Environmental Protection, said fire officials expect the blaze to grow and that it could turn out to be the largest wildfire in New Jersey in 20 years.
Firefighters battle a house fire, April 23, 2025, in Lacey Township, N.J.
“Thanks to the incredible, heroic work of the good men and women of our New Jersey fire service folks, homes and lives have been saved and we truly averted a major disaster,” LaTourette said.
LaTourette said that no injuries have been reported.
Crews will work into the night to continue containing the fire, said Chief Bill Donnelly of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
A man looks at smoke during a wildfire outbreak, in Lacey Township, in the Ocean County region of New Jersey, April 23, 2025.
Donnelly said the fire continued to threaten 18 structures along County Route 532, which remained closed to traffic Wednesday afternoon.
So far, the fire has destroyed one commercial structure and damaged several cabins and other structures, said John Cecil, assistant commissioner for State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites for the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Officials said they expect to have the fire fully contained by this weekend. About 100 firefighters were battling the blaze from the ground and air on Wednesday, officials said.
The origin and cause of the fire remained under investigation Wednesday afternoon.
Fanned by wind gusts, dry vegetation and low relative humidity, the fire, located south of Toms River along the Garden State Parkway, was first reported at 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday in Ocean County’s Greenwood Forest Management area, which an official described as “pretty wild and untamed space” covered with pine trees.
Trevor Raynor, a division forest fire warden for the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, said the fire was first spotted from the Cedar Bridge Fire Tower near Barnegat Township, New Jersey.
Firefighters battle a house fire, April 23, 2025, in Lacey Township, N.J.
“We dispatched resources right off the bat. When they arrived at the location, the fire was about 10 to 20 acres,” Raynor said. “We had resources there quickly, we dispatched aircraft, and even with a big show of force, it grew to be a large wildfire.”
The fire exploded overnight to 8,500 acres and at one point jumped the Garden State Parkway, bringing one of New Jersey’s busiest roads to a halt. At one point, the fire threatened more than 1,000 homes, officials said. But firefighters were able to head off the fire, battling it with crews on the ground and aircraft making water drops, officials said.
New Jersey Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, who is serving as acting governor while Gov. Phil Murphy is out of the country, declared a state of emergency in Ocean County on Wednesday morning, freeing up resources to battle the blaze.
Officials said the blaze threatened structures in Ocean and Lacey Townships.
Smoke rises during a wildfire outbreak, near Forked River, in the Ocean County region of New Jersey, April 23, 2025.
Due mostly to drought conditions across New Jersey, particularly the southern part of the state, firefighters have had a busy first four months of the year, Donnelly said.
He noted that at this time last year, there had been 310 wildfires across the state that scorched 315 acres. So far this year, Donnelly said there have been 662 wildfires statewide that have burned 16,572 acres.
“New Jersey has some of the most volatile wildland fuels in the entire country,” Donnelly told reporters of the challenges firefighters have faced battling the blaze. “You know, everybody’s used to seeing California … Well, these pine barrens out here are the exact same type of fuel model. They are just like having napalm spread across the ground.”
Officials stressed that until the region sees more rainfall, the wildfire threat will continue.
The rapidly spreading blaze spurred evacuations of some residents on Tuesday. By Wednesday, firefighters lifted the evacuation order and cautioned residents to stay on alert.
Ocean County resident Michael Ferrara said he watched in horror Tuesday as flames and smoke closed in on his neighborhood, prompting him to heed the mandatory evacuation orders.
“As the day progressed, it was kind of scary,” Ferrara told ABC News about weighing his decision Tuesday night to leave or stay.
“Smoke and everything was right in my backyard. Everything was covered in black ashes,” said Kelly Mendoza, another evacuee.
A fire burns on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, near Waretown, N.J.
He said the first thing that went through his mind was keeping himself and his family safe.
“But what are you going to take with you — birth certificates, passports?” Ferrara said. “It’s just a very eerie feeling.”
LaTourette said that more than a thousand structures were under threat at one point and more than 5,000 residents heeded mandatory evacuation orders or voluntarily evacuated.
New Jersey Forest Fire Service fire crews work to extinguish the Jones Road Fire near Lacey Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, April 23, 2025.
Matthew Hatcher/AFP via Getty Images
A forced power outage due to the fires has also left at least 25,000 customers in the dark. Wednesday’s forecast is expected to be breezy through the morning with winds gusting up to 20 mph from the north, but winds should calm this afternoon as high pressure starts moving into the region with the next chance for rain beginning Friday night.
The Jones Road fire is the largest wildfire in New Jersey since June 2022 when the Mullica River Fire scorched 13,500 acres across Wharton State Forest in Burlington County. If the fire surpasses that, it would be the largest in nearly 18 years. In May 2007, the Warren Grove Fire burned 17,000 acres in the Pinelands of southern New Jersey.
ABC News’ Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.
