Massive wildfire in Ocean County prompts evacuations, closure on Garden State Parkway

A massive wildfire in Ocean County, N.J., surged to 8,500 acres Tuesday night, prompting evacuations of 3,000 residents and the shutdown of a portion of the Garden State Parkway, officials said.

No injuries were reported.

The Jones Road Wildfire, which was threatening 1,320 structures, was 10% contained in Ocean and Lacey Townships, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said.

The fire had grown enormously from 150 acres reported earlier Tuesday afternoon in the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area.

Multiple evacuation shelters were established with Southern Regional High School open to evacuees with pets, the fire agency said.

The Garden State Parkway was closed in both directions between exits 63 and 80 because of the wildfire, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority said.

Portions of the parkway were reopened later Tuesday night, the authority said.

Mandatory evacuations were initially ordered on Wells Mills Road from Bryant Road to the Garden State Parkway, the agency said.

Around 6:30 p.m., the agency said mandatory evacuations were announced for the area of Route 9 in Lacey Township, Ocean County.

Jersey Central Power & Light reported that a substation was de-energized to allow for firefighters to safely battle the blaze.

As a result, 23,000 customers had lost power, the utility said.

Lacey Township is the location of the Oyster Creek nuclear plant, which was shut down in 2018.

The site is now owned by Holtec International, and a spokesperson said that there was a small grass fire on the property, but it had been extinguished.

Spent nuclear fuel is stored at the site in hardened casks that are designed to withstand fires, floods, or airplane impacts, Holtec spokesperson Patrick O’Brien said.

“Oyster Creek Security Personnel are keeping careful round-the-clock watch on all of the site property to ensure protection from the current forest fire,” O’Brien said in an emailed statement.

“All the buildings on the Oyster Creek site as well as the entire Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation are designed and constructed to withstand fires,” O’Brien said.

“Nonetheless, our personnel have taken all necessary steps to keep the site fire-safe, and are staying closely connected to local, county and state fire officials while they battle this forest fire,” O’Brien said.