A wildfire in New Jersey has exploded to 12,000 acres after igniting on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Ocean County and threatening more than 1,000 structures, shutting down a major highway and causing thousands of people to flee the flames.
The Jones Road Wildfire was 35% contained on Wednesday afternoon, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
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.
“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.
Fanned by dry vegetation and low relative humidity, the fire was first reported in Ocean County at 9:45 a.m. ET on Tuesday and exploded overnight from a few hundred acres to 8,500, according to the Forest Fire Service.
Trevor Raynor of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said the fire was first spotted from the Cedar Bridge Fire Tower near Barnegat Township, New Jersey.
“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.”
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.
The fire is located south of Toms River along the Garden State Parkway. At one point on Tuesday evening, flames jumped the parkway, prompting officials to close it and bringing one of New Jersey’s busiest roads to a halt.
“Smoke and everything was right in my backyard. Everything was covered in black ashes,” said Kelly Mendoza, one of the evacuees.
By Jon Haworth and Bill Hutchinson, Yahoo! News