Firefighters in Gloucester County, New Jersey, near a wildfire in the nearby Ocean County. Photo: Gloucester County Emergency Management/Facebook
A rapidly growing wildfire in the Pine Barrens area of southern New Jersey prompted evacuation orders for about 3,000 people and shut down a major highway in the state for hours on Tuesday.
The big picture: The Jones Road Forest Fire was burning across some 8,500 acres at 10% containment just before 11pm ET, some nine hours after the New Jersey Forest Fire Service announced its ignition near Barnegat Township in Ocean County.
Threat level: Residents in Ocean and Lacey Townships were under evacuation orders, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.
- The fire was threatening around 1,320 structures, per a fire service post to X late Tuesday.
- The Garden State Parkway, which runs north and south through N.J., was shut for several hours between exits 63 and 80 and traffic was diverted elsewhere, officials said.
Context: The wildfire ignited when fire risk was high in a region that U.S. Drought Monitor data shows is experiencing abnormally dry to severe drought.
What we’re watching: Temperatures cooled somewhat and winds were forecast to diminish overnight, the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly, N.J., office said on X.
- “The theme of above normal temperatures will continue through the end of the week, with highs in the 70s to near 80° (60s for the coast),” it said. “Next chance of showers/storms arrives Friday night & Saturday.”
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