Ocean County wildfire consumes more than 15,000 acres, could be largest in nearly 20 years
There is an Air Quality Alert in South Jersey due to the wildfire smoke; fire now 50% contained.
OCEAN TWP., N.J. (WPVI) -- A fast-moving wildfire engulfing part of New Jersey's Pine Barrens in Ocean County has not resulted in any injuries, officials said, though it's expected to grow before forecast rain later this week.
Officials announced Thursday morning that an Ocean Township man has been arrested for arson in connection to the massive blaze.
He has been identified as 19-year-old Joseph Kling, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.
MORE | Maps show location of Ocean County, New Jersey wildfire and current road closures
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service said the blaze has grown to 15,000 acres and is 50% contained as of Thursday morning.
Acting New Jersey Governor Tahesha Way declared a State of Emergency in response to the blaze.
Officials said this could end up being the largest wildfire in New Jersey in 20 years.
Investigators say they were able to pinpoint the origin of the fire by using GPS and that the cause of the fire was an improperly extinguished bonfire.
Kling is accused of setting wooden pallets on fire before leaving the area without the fire being fully extinguished.
He was taken into custody at the Ocean Township (Waretown) Police Headquarters and has since been taken to the Ocean County Jail where he is waiting for a detention hearing.
What we know about the fire
The "Jones Road Wildfire" was detected by the Cedar Bridge Fire Tower around 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday at the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area in Barnegat Township. By the evening, the flames spread into both Ocean and Lacey townships in the county.
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The fire had grown to more than 23 square miles (60 square kilometers) on Thursday.
Chopper 6 was overhead Tuesday night as crews fought the inferno, as the smoky haze brought a stretch of the Garden State Parkway, one of New Jersey's busiest highways, to a halt.
Officials noted that dry conditions in the southern part of the state have influenced the fire.
It's peak forest fire season in the vast pine wilderness that covers more than 1 million acres (405,000 hectares) - an area roughly as large as the Grand Canyon - and firefighters are contending with low humidity and the aftermath of a monthslong drought in the region.
Though large tracts of the Pine Barrens are uninhabited, New Jersey is the nation's most densely populated state and officials have warned the fire could threaten developments nearby.
Video released by the state agency overseeing the fire service showed billowing white and black clouds of smoke, intense flames engulfing pines and firefighters dousing a charred structure.
During a 7:30 p.m. update on Wednesday, officials said 12 structures were still being threatened along Route 532. During the height of the firefight, 1,320 structures were threatened, but officials later said no homes had been lost. However, one commercial building, as well as multiple outbuildings and vehicles, were destroyed by the fire.
Based on the weather forecast, the fire is expected to continue until we get rain, which should move into the area Friday night into Saturday.
"These fires will persist for a long time until we get soaking rainfall. The Forest Fire Service will obviously stay on them and work the spots and work the edges and keep it in box, but to fully suppress it and keep it from spreading through the ground that it's going to consume ... you need a soaking rainfall for that," said John Cecil, the assistant commissioner for state parks, forests, and historic sites.
The Pine Barrens sit between Philadelphia to the west and the Atlantic coast to the east. The region, with its quick-draining sandy soil, is in peak forest fire season. The trees are still developing leaves, humidity remains low and winds can kick up, drying out the forest floor.
The effects of the fire are beginning to be seen beyond the state.
Higher-than-normal pollution levels were expected Thursday in New York City, Rockland and Westchester counties, and in Long Island's Nassau and Suffolk counties, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation advised Wednesday. The fire is roughly 54 miles (87 kilometers) south of New York City.
It said "going indoors may reduce exposure" to problems such as eye, nose and throat irritation, coughing, sneezing and shortness of breath.
The Ocean County Sheriff's Office in New Jersey also cautioned early Thursday about air quality, saying "smoke will continue to permeate the area." It said emergency personnel will be on site for the next few days.
The smoke from the wildfire is so heavy that it is being picked up by radar.
In New York, dry conditions across the state are resulting in a "high" fire danger rating in several regions including New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, Capital Region, and portions of the North Country, the state air quality advisory said. The rest of the state is at a moderate or low level of fire danger.
Evacuations lifted
According to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, 5,000 residents were forced to evacuate Tuesday night.
As of 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, all evacuation orders have been lifted, and the Garden State Parkway and Route 9 have reopened in both directions as of Wednesday morning.
Residents were advised to use caution when traveling as heavy smoke remains in the area.
Debbie Schaffer, of Waretown, was one of those who had to leave.
"It's a little scary... like I didn't have an emergency bag packed, so I was kind of walking in circles knowing I had to get out of there, but trying to think, 'What do I need?'" she recalled.
Power restored
JCP&L said just after 5 p.m. Wednesday that power has been restored to all customers.
Barnegat Township police say Jersey Central Power & Light had de-energized all lines in and out of our Oyster Creek substation at the request of the Forest Fire Service.
"This is for the safety of crews battling the fire," the company said.
Approximately 25,000 JCP&L customers were affected by this forced outage, JCP&L said in a statement.
Road Closures
Some road closures remain in place until further notice, including the following:
- Bryant Road is closed between Wells Mills Road (Rt. 532) and Rt. 539
- Jones Road is closed between Rt. 532 and Bryant Road
Get real-time traffic updates at 6abc.action.news/traffic.
Fire officials are also reminding residents to not fly recreational drones near the fire zones.
"If YOU fly, WE can't!" the New Jersey Fire Service posted on Facebook.
The FAA often implements Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) around wildfires to protect aircraft that are involved in the firefighting operation.
Officials say flying a drone near a wildfire can be dangerous and cost lives by delaying their response.
"During a wildfire, our aircraft fly low to the ground, often at the same altitude that a drone would fly. If a drone is detected flying over or near a wildfire, all Forest Fire Service air support will be grounded - hampering suppression and observation efforts," the post said. "Please do your part and prevent interfering with wildfire suppression by staying grounded."
Forest fires are a common occurrence in the Pine Barrens, a 1.1 million-acre (445,000-hectare) state and federally protected reserve about the size of the Grand Canyon lying halfway between Philadelphia to the west and the Atlantic coast to the east.
The area had been under a severe drought until recently, when early spring rains helped dampen the region.
So far in 2025, New Jersey is at 662 wildfires with 16,572 acres burned.
The site of the fire is near an alpaca farm. The farm said in a Facebook post that the property wasn't threatened and all of the animals were safe.
The blaze is the second major forest fire in the region in less than a week. The Vineland Wildfire in Cumberland County stands at 1,327 acres burned and is 80% contained, fire officials said during Wednesday's 11 a.m. update.
Officials said the fire is believed to be the second-worst in the last two decades, smaller only than a 2007 blaze that burned 26 square miles (67 square kilometers).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
