New Jersey Wildfire Forces Evacuation Of 3,000 Residents—Leaves 25,000 Homes Without Power

 

Smoke rises from a wildfire early Wednesday, near Barnegat Township, New Jersey.

A fast-moving wildfire in New Jersey’s Ocean County forced around 3,000 residents to evacuate and shut down a section of one of the busiest highways in the state on Tuesday night.

Key Facts

In its most recent update about the size of the wildfire, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said the fast-moving blaze has burned around 8,500 acres, more than doubling in size in two hours, of which only 10% has been contained.

The fire, which is burning through New Jersey’s Ocean & Lacey Townships, threatened 1,320 structures and forced the closure of a section of the Garden State Parkway, “between Barnegat Road and Lacey Road,” the update noted.

The fire department said the cause of the blaze was still under investigation.

Tangent

According to the tracker PowerOutage.US, more than 25,476 homes and businesses were without power early Wednesday. Jersey Central Power and Light Company said the power cuts were done for safety reasons following a request from the Jersey Forest Fire Service and the wildfire’s command post. The utilities company said: “All restoration timing will be determined by the safety of firefighters, our crews and the public.” The statement then added: “We do not anticipate restoring power tonight.”

What To Watch For

Windy conditions in the region likely aided the spread of the fire, with gusts hitting between 15 and 25 mph on Tuesday afternoon, according to CNN. But the conditions are expected to improve overnight with the National Weather Service forecasting cooler weather, “with winds diminishing.” The fire department’s next update on the blaze will be delivered at 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday.

Key Bakground

Over the past two months, authorities in the state have been warning of elevated risks of wildfires due to drought-like conditions. The U.S. Drought Monitor showed “Severe Drought” and “Moderate Drought” across southern New Jersey, including parts of Ocean County. The tracker notes that even under Moderate Drought or D1 conditions, the risks of wildfires and ground fires go up. Last month, Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration urged that the state’s residents “continue exercising wildfire awareness and practicing water conservation as drought conditions persist.” The statement added: “New Jersey remains under an official drought warning and enters spring following minimal precipitation in the fall coupled with the third-driest January on record and well-below average precipitation throughout the winter.”