WARETOWN — One of the most destructive wildfires in southern Ocean County history has more than doubled in size, scorching 8,500 acres, prompting the evacuation of around 3,000 residents, and placing 1,320 homes and buildings in jeopardy, officials reported.
The blaze, known as the Jones Road wildfire, ignited Tuesday morning shortly after 10 a.m. in the Pine Barrens near the Barnegat-Waretown municipal line. By evening, the fire had spread north into Lacey Township, leading to the shutdown of the Garden State Parkway in the area as flames approached grassy shoulders and wooded stretches along the highway.
More than 23,000 Jersey Central Power & Light customers in Barnegat and Waretown were left without electricity after the company, at the request of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, shut down power from the Oyster Creek substation to ensure the safety of firefighting crews.
As of 10:30 p.m., the Forest Fire Service reported the fire had consumed an additional 5,300 acres since nightfall, ballooning the total burned area to 8,500 acres. Containment remains limited, with officials estimating only 10 percent of the blaze is currently under control. The fire remains concentrated in the Waretown and Lacey regions.
Lacey Mayor Peter Curatola confirmed that three structures within the township’s industrial park had caught fire, with one building completely destroyed.
The situation created a tense and eerie atmosphere across Waretown and Barnegat. A widespread power outage hit just after 6 p.m., plunging neighborhoods into darkness as distant sirens wailed and smoke filled the air. The acrid scent of burning vegetation lingered, and a thick haze dimmed the evening sky, adding to residents’ growing anxiety.