Large wildfire burns for 3rd day in Ocean County, NJ – NBC10 Philadelphia

What to Know

• A large wildfire in Ocean County, New Jersey, has burned 1000’s of acres, at one level pressured 1000’s of evacuations, destroyed a enterprise and closed some roads. 
• The hearth started noon on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, on the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Administration Space in Barnegat Township, Ocean County. 
• The hearth unfold to Lacey Township the place it destroyed a enterprise. It additionally unfold to Ocean Township, sending large plumes of white smoke into the air that may very well be seen for miles round.
• As of Thursday, April 24, at 10:20 a.m., the so-called Jones Highway Wildfire had burned 15,000 acres, continued to threaten 8 buildings and was nonetheless solely 50% contained.
• The hearth at one level closed a stretch of the Backyard State Parkway and prompted 1000’s of energy outages. As of early on Thursday, April 24, 2025, stretches unimproved roads inside the hearth perimeter remained closed, whereas a stretch of Route 532 had reopened.
• The hearth additionally at one level pressured round 5,000 Lacey and Ocean Townships residents to evacuate. The evacuation order was lifted on Wednesday and other people had been in a position to return to their properties.
• On Thursday, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Workplace introduced arson costs towards 19-year-old Joseph Kling of Waretown. Investigators declare Kling set picket pallets on hearth and left the world earlier than the flames had been extinguished.
• Throughout a Wednesday information convention, New Jersey’s Commissioner of Environmental Safety Shawn LaTourette mentioned the hearth may find yourself being the biggest within the state previously 20 years.