Up to now in 2025, New Jersey has skilled almost twice as many wildfires as in the identical interval final yr, with 662 wildfires burning over 66.8 sq km. That compares with about 310 wildfires burning 1.27 sq km within the first 4 months of 2024, Invoice Donnelly, the chief of the forest hearth service, mentioned on the briefing.
On common, 1,500 wildfires injury or destroy 28.3 sq km of the state’s forests every year, the New Jersey Forest Hearth Service mentioned on its web site.
The blaze began on Tuesday within the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Administration Space close to Lacey, Ocean and 24km inland from the Atlantic Ocean shoreline.
About 1,300 properties had been endangered, and between 3,000 and 5,000 folks had been underneath obligatory or voluntary evacuation orders, which had been lifted on Wednesday morning. As well as, a 17-mile stretch of the Backyard State Parkway, a serious north-south freeway, was closed on Tuesday however reopened on Wednesday morning
Tons of of firefighters have been engaged on the blaze for nearly 24 hours straight, Donnelly mentioned.
To completely cease the hearth, crews want a “soaking rainfall” which could come this weekend, mentioned John Cecil with the state’s environmental safety division.
