By Frank Kummer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
OCEAN COUNTY, N.J. — New Jersey’s Acting Gov. Tahesha Way declared a state of emergency Wednesday morning in response to a massive wildfire in Ocean County in a wildlife management area within the state’s Pinelands and near the coast.
“Due to its accelerated growth, with an estimated burn of 8,500 acres, threatening more than 1,000 structures, requiring the evacuation of residents in the area, and the loss of power to over 25,000 residents, I am declaring a State of Emergency for Ocean County,” Way said in a statement. “I encourage all residents in the County to continue to monitor the proper channels, and to use caution and follow all safety protocols.”
Way is New Jersey’s Lieutenant Governor and serves as acting governor when Gov. Phil Murphy is unavailable. The state of emergency authorizes state officials to implement emergency plans, coordinate recovery efforts, reroute traffic, and muster resources.
Although firefighters continued to battle the blaze Wednesday, Lacey Township officials said the heavily used Garden State Parkway and Route 9 have reopened.
And 3,000 residents forced to evacuate Tuesday night were allowed to return home from what’s been dubbed the Jones Road Fire burning in Ocean and Lacey Townships.
About 1,320 buildings are threatened by the blaze that ignited Monday in the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Barnegat Township, Ocean County. The WMA managed by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife spans a heavily wooded 32,253 acres in the Pinelands.
The fire broke out about six miles west of Forked River on the New Jersey coast, but had spread close to nearby residential developments. It was 10% contained as of late Tuesday night.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service expects to update the public on conditions later this morning.
The fire, which initially raced through 150 acres, quickly swelled in size, forcing officials to setup multiple evacuation shelters. Southern Regional High School opened to evacuees with pets. The evacuees left for home Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, the Garden State Parkway had been closed in both directions between exits 63 and 80 because of the wildfire before reopened late Tuesday night.
The Jones Road fire ignited at what’s typically peak wildfire season for New Jersey’s Pinelands region.
The Greenwood WMA is the is the largest tract of land preserved by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife . Most of it is dominated by pine and oak trees on higher ground, and pines and Atlantic white cedar bogs in the lowlands.
It contains the headwaters of Cedar Creek as well as numerous wildlife, such as the barred owl, a threatened species.
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