New Jersey authorities lifted a previous evacuation order for thousands of residents on Wednesday, April 23. The lifted orders come as a 12,000-acre fire continues to burn, and authorities say it could grow.
How many people evacuated?
Officials ordered roughly 5,000 people to evacuate in southern New Jersey, as more than 1,300 structures were at risk from the fire. However, authorities halted all evacuation orders Wednesday morning.
Acting Gov. Tahesha Way on Wednesday morning declared a state of emergency for Ocean County, New Jersey.
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What are officials saying?
During a press conference on Wednesday, Shawn LaTourette, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, said the fire may be the biggest wildfire the state has seen in decades.
“This could very well end up being the largest wildfire in New Jersey in 20 years,” LaTourette said. “Thankfully, no residential structures were lost. We did lose one commercial structure. Some outbuildings were also affected and several vehicles as well.”
When do authorities expect to contain the fire?
Officials believe rain forecasted later in the week will help further mitigate the spread of the fire. If the rain stays consistent, they say they should have the fire fully contained by the weekend. However, weather models warned that the smoke from the fires could travel to New York City, which could impact air quality in the city.
The Jersey Central Power and Light Company reportedly had to shut off power to around 25,000 customers Tuesday evening, April 22, to help with firefighting efforts. Officials expect to restore electricity sometime Wednesday.
What sparked the fire?
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Authorities said no one has reported any injuries from the fire.
Officials said abnormally dry conditions in New Jersey over the last several months have led to more than double the number of wildfires compared to last year.
Straight Arrow News previously reported on wildfires in New Jersey and New York in November 2024, one of which turned fatal.
