STAFFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — A state of emergency is still in effect in New Jersey as firefighters made progress Wednesday towards containing a massive wildfire that's torn through at least 13,250 acres (roughly 20.7 square miles) in Ocean County as of Wednesday evening. About 5,000 people were evacuated as a precaution.
Per the latest update from the New Jersey Fire Service around 7:20 p.m. Wednesday evening, all evacuation orders have been lifted for the approximately 5,000 people evacuated between Ocean and Lacey counties, and New Jersey Fire Chief Bill Donnelly said authorities do not expect to reinstate them.
"As far as the fire coming in and impinging on the property or any of the improved structures in the area, that’s not going to happen there anymore. So those folks are good to go at this point," he said at a 3 p.m. press conference.
One commercial building has been reported destroyed along with a number of vehicles and ancillary buildings, according to fire marshals that continue to investigate the damage. Twelve structures are also still threatened by the ongoing blaze.
The fast-moving wildfire is now also 50% contained as of Wednesday evening, but officials said it is expected to burn for a few more days before it is totally contained.
“This could very well end up being the largest wildfire in New Jersey in 20 years,” Shawn LaTourette, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection, said at an 11 a.m. press conference.
The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Division Forest Fire Warden Trevor Raynor said it was fed by dry fuel and perfect conditions for rapid growth.
"We’re at the peak fire season here, April 20 is right at peak," said Raynor. "Nice clear sky today means low humidity. Winds, high temps, it’s all ripe for fire spread."
No injuries have been reported so far as a result of the fire.
Officials said the fire broke out shortly after 12 p.m. on Tuesday. According to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, about 1,320 structures were threatened at one point. Approximately 5,000 residents were evacuated.
The Jersey Central Power and Light Company cut power to about 25,000 customers at the request of the Forest Fire Service and the wildfire’s command post Tuesday evening, including thousands in Barnegat Township. A spokesman for the company said Wednesday that some customers could have power restored later in the day.
“This is for the safety of crews battling the fire,” the company said.
No residential structures were lost, but one business property was destroyed.
Multiple evacuation shelters are available for those who were displaced, including Southern Regional High School, which is open to evacuees with pets. Some slept overnight in their cars in the parking lot. A Red Cross spokesperson said about 300 people stayed overnight in the two shelters in Ocean County.
Early Wednesday, the mandatory evacuation order was lifted in Ocean and Lacey townships. Still, New Jersey Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way issued a state of emergency in response to the wildfire, effective at 7 a.m.
The Garden State Parkway, one of New Jersey's busiest highways, also reopened Wednesday morning after officials closed a roughly 7-mile stretch Tuesday night.
So far, there are no reported injuries.
“We’ve truly averted a major disaster. Now, the wildfire is not under full and complete control. We still have a lot of work to do,” said LaTourette.
Forest fire officials are hoping for rain to help contain the fire, but rain is not in the forecast until at least Friday. The blaze will likely continue burning for a few days.
Forest fires are a common occurrence in the Pine Barrens, a 1.1 million-acre 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 region, with its quick-draining sandy soil, is amid peak forest fire season. The trees are still developing leaves, humidity remains low, and winds can kick up, drying out the forest floor.
It's a vast wilderness in the country’s most densely populated state. LaTourette said the fire is straddling an area on the edge of wilderness and residential areas.
The area had been under a severe drought until recently, when early spring rains helped dampen the region, but officials cautioned recent low humidity and a dry stretch have heightened the risk of fire.