This incident couldn’t have come at a worse time. Around 80 percent of New Jersey is experiencing drought conditions, and a massive wildfire is breaking out in the southern part of the state. The blaze shut a large swath of the Garden State Parkway, with evacuations being ordered as around 25,000 are now without power. How the fire started is under investigation (via Star-Ledger):
A forest fire that broke out in a residential area of Barnegat on Tuesday afternoon has now spread to more than 3,200 acres and has closed a portion of the Garden State Parkway, officials said.
The blaze is burning in the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area in Barnegat, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said in a statement. Many single family homes are surrounded by the large forest in the Jersey Shore neighborhood.
The fire, which was 5 percent contained as of 8 p.m., is currently threatening 1,320 structures and has forced the evacuation of 3,000 residents in numerous towns in the vicinity of the fire, officials said.
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The Barnegat Police Department announced voluntary evacuations in the neighborhoods of Windward, Mirage, Pheasant Run, Heritage Point North, Brookville and all houses on West Bay Avenue.
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According to Lacey Township police, the fire crossed over Route 9 in Forked River which has led to mandatory evacuations in town.
A mandatory evacuation was issued for for the Pheasant Run Community and the southern section of the Barnegat Pines south of Lakeside Drive South near the northbound lanes of the Garden State Parkway. Evacuations were also issued in town for Beach Boulevard and the surrounding areas of Clune Park including South River Drive, Sandy Hook Drive and Orlando Drive.
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In the nearby Stafford Township, all parkway entrances and exits were shut but as of 7 p.m., there were no voluntary or mandatory evacuations in town, police said.
The Ocean Township Police Department said on its Facebook page that the Garden State Parkway Southbound is open for evacuation traffic at exit 69.
There were over 25,000 power outages reported in Barnegat, Lacey and Berkeley, with nearly 1,400 in Barnegat alone, according to JCP&L.
🚨#BREAKING: A major forest fire has broken out in parts of southern New Jersey, prompting evacuations as the blaze threatens nearby homes and buildings
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) April 23, 2025
📌#Waretown | #NewJersey
Watch as residents in nearby towns scramble to evacuate while numerous law enforcement and emergency… pic.twitter.com/kOkGUUwRVu
BREAKING: The Jones Road wildfire as seen along Rt. 9 in Waretown, Ocean County, NJ moments ago. pic.twitter.com/vjzrwKgfGM
— The Lakewood Scoop (@LakewoodScoop) April 23, 2025
WILDFIRE UPDATE: Jones Road Wildfire - Ocean & Lacey Townships, Ocean County
— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) April 23, 2025
New Jersey Forest Fire Service remains on scene of a wildfire burning in Ocean & Lacey Townships, Ocean County.
SIZE & CONTAINMENT
🔥 3,200 acres
🔥 5% contained pic.twitter.com/nxdzQNQ5Ot
From Lanoka Harbor, NJ #NJwx 🔥 pic.twitter.com/lsVKwoHSoK
— 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕔 𝕁𝕣. 🌨️⛈ (@WxmanFranz) April 22, 2025
LATEST: Ocean County, NJ wildfire grows to 3,200 acres. Officials say thousands of residents have been evacuated and the Garden State Parkway remains closedhttps://t.co/NSgmHFX20u pic.twitter.com/ChoKugiKHo
— Action News on 6abc (@6abc) April 23, 2025
BREAKING: The Garden State Parkway has been closed in both directions from Exit 80 South to Exit 63 due an ongoing wildfire which began in Barnegat Township, New Jersey.
— Shlomo Schorr (@OneJerseySchorr) April 22, 2025
The fire has so far burned hundreds of acres and is 0% contained. Mandatory evacuations have been issued.… pic.twitter.com/wlTqcB942U
Pray for the first responders and those fleeing this blaze.
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