New Jersey Pine Barrens wildfire expected to grow

Wildfire in New Jersey Pine Barrens expected to grow before it’s contained, officials say

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A fast-moving wildfire engulfing part of New Jersey’s Pine Barrens has not resulted in any injuries though it’s expected to continue to grow before forecast rain later this week.

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A fast-moving wildfire was burning in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, but officials on Wednesday reopened a stretch of a major highway that was closed due to the blaze. More than 1,300 structures were threatened and about 5,000 residents were under either voluntary or mandatory evacuation orders. All evacuation orders have been lifted as of Wednesday morning.

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A fast-moving wildfire engulfing part of New Jersey’s Pine Barrens is expected to grow, and could continue to burn for days before forecast rain later this week, according to officials. No injuries have been reported.

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A fast-moving wildfire burning in New Jersey on Tuesday forced thousands of people to evacuate and closed a stretch of a major highway.

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A fast-moving wildfire engulfing part of New Jersey’s Pine Barrens has not resulted in any injuries, officials said Wednesday, though it’s expected to grow before forecast rain later this week. It has burned more than 20 square miles.

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Smoke fills the sky from a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

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In this image taken from aerial video shows smoke and flames from wildfires in Ocean County, N.J., Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (WPVI via AP)

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In this image taken from aerial video shows smoke rising from wildfires in Ocean County, N.J., Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (WPVI via AP)

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A fire burns on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, near Waretown, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

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ADDS TO CLARIFY THAT HOUSE FIRE NOT CAUSED BY WILDFIRE - Firefighters battle a house fire Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Lacey Township, N.J. The fire department is investigating the cause of the fire that was not caused by a nearby wildfire. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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Smoke fills the sky as firefighters battle a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

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Smoke fills the sky from a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

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Smoke fills the sky from a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

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Smoke rises from a wildfire early Wednesday, April 23, 2025, near Barnegat Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

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Waretown Volunteer Fire Company firefighters prepare to respond to a wildfire on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Waretown, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

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People head into an evacuation shelter at Southern Regional High School from wildfires on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, near Stafford Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

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A Waretown volunteer firefighter helps prepare a firetruck to respond to a wildfire on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Waretown, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

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Carmine, of Waretown, and his dog Amber sit outside an evacuation center at Southern Regional High School during wildfires on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, near Stafford Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

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Damage from a wildfire is seen Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Lacey Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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Damage from a wildfire is seen Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Ocean Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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Smoke fills the sky as firefighters battle a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

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Smoke fills the sky as firefighters battle a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

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Firefighters battle a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

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Smoke fills the sky as firefighters battle a wildfire in Lacey Townships, N.J. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

By BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI

CHATSWORTH, N.J. (AP) — A fast-moving wildfire engulfing part of New Jersey’s Pine Barrens has not resulted in any injuries, officials said Wednesday, though it’s expected to grow before forecast rain later this week.

The fire in southern New Jersey’s Lacey and Ocean townships has grown to more than 20 square miles (52 square kilometers) and could continue to burn for days, officials said. No one has been injured so far in the blaze, and 5,000 residents were evacuated but have been permitted to return home. A single commercial building and some vehicles were destroyed in the fire, while 12 structures remained threatened Wednesday evening.

“This is still a very active fire,” said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette. “As we continue to get this under full control the expectation is that the number of acres will grow and will grow in a place that is unpopulated.”

Officials said the fire is believed to be the second-worst in the last two decades, smaller only than a 2007 blaze that burned 26 square miles (67 square kilometers).

The Garden State Parkway, one of New Jersey’s busiest highways, reopened Wednesday morning after officials closed a roughly 7-mile (12-kilometer) stretch in the southern part of the state.

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Acting Gov. Tahesha Way declared a state of emergency early Wednesday as officials said they’ve contained about 50% of the wildfire.

Video released by the state agency overseeing the fire service showed billowing white and black clouds of smoke, intense flames engulfing pines and firefighters dousing a charred structure.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, authorities said.

Forest fires are a common occurrence in the Pine Barrens, a 1.1 million-acre (445,000-hectare) 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 in 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, the DEP commissioner, said the fire is straddling an area on the edge of wilderness and residential areas.

“It’s the interface where the environment and development meet,” he said.

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.

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. By late Wednesday afternoon, power had been restored.

On Tuesday, Debi Schaffer was caught in gridlocked traffic after evacuating with her two dogs while her husband agreed to stay with their 22 chickens, The Press of Atlantic City reported.

“I wanted to take them in the car with me; can you imagine 22 chickens in a car?” she told the newspaper.

Around her Waretown house it was “like a war zone,” she said, describing smoke, sirens and the buzz of helicopters.

The site of the fire is near an alpaca farm. The farm said in a Facebook post that the property wasn’t threatened and all of the animals were safe.

The blaze is the second major forest fire in the region in less than a week.

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Associated Press writers Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.