Watch: Flames from New Jersey wildfire inch dangerously close to homes
The Jones Road Wildfire ignited on Tuesday and has scorched about 15,000 acres. Officials announced they have charged a man with arson in connection with the fire.
Watch: Flames from Jones Road Wildfire creeps close to homes
A video recorded in Forked River, New Jersey, shows how close the flames and smoke were to homes as the Jones Road Wildfire raged on April 22, 2025.
FORKED RIVER, N.J. – Firefighters in New Jersey are still working to extinguish the largest wildfire the Garden State has seen in years, and a dramatic new video shows just how close the flames and smoke came to homes in Ocean County.
The Jones Road Wildfire ignited Tuesday morning and nearly tripled in size in a matter of hours.
The fire has scorched about 15,000 acres and is about 50% contained. Officials announced they have charged a man with arson in connection with the fire.
NEW JERSEY WILDFIRE: DRAMATIC VIDEOS, PHOTOS REVEAL FEARSOME NATURE OF FAST-MOVING FLAMES
This photo comes from a video recorded in Forked River, New Jersey, as the Jones Road Wildfire was inching dangerously close to homes on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.
(Tyler Granato via Storyful / FOX Weather)
A video recorded by Tyler Granato showed the wildfire spreading close to homes in Forked River on Tuesday as the blaze began its fast-moving assault on communities in the area.
Thick smoke can be seen filling the sky and choking the community, and the bright red and orange glow of the flames can be seen creeping closer to homes in the neighborhood.
Officials said about 5,000 people in the area were forced to flee for safety, and power was shut off as a precaution. In addition, the state's busiest highway, the Garden State Parkway, was closed for about 17 miles after the flames jumped the roadway.
Power has since been restored, the highway was reopened and all evacuation orders have been lifted.
No single-family homes burned, no fatalities reported as Jones Road Wildfire rages in New Jersey
Evacuation orders have been lifted in Ocean County, New Jersey, as crews continue to work to extinguish the Jones Road Wildfire that broke out near the Jersey Shore on Tuesday afternoon. FOX Weather Correspondent Katie Byrne spoke with Lacey Township Mayor Peter Curatolo who said that as of Wednesday morning, no fatalities have been reported, and no single-family homes have been destroyed.
No injuries or deaths have been reported, and no single-family homes were impacted.
However, one business in the community of Lacey Township was destroyed by the blaze.
FOX Weather Correspondent Katie Byrne was in Lacey Township on Wednesday and spoke with Mayor Peter Curatolo, who was in disbelief after the fire had moved on from his community.
"This was one of our great businesses, and our industrial park is where it happened," Curatolo said on FOX Weather. "This is really heartbreaking. You can see the devastation. You don’t need me to explain it to you."
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![The Jones Road Fire burns in Ocean County, New Jersey, on Wednesday.]()
Image 1 of 20The Jones Road Fire burns in Ocean County, New Jersey, on Wednesday. (Ocean County Sheriff 911)
![Charred trees are seen as the Jones Road Fire continues to burn in Ocean County, New Jersey on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. Some 3,000 residents were evacuated in the US state of New Jersey after a wildfire exploded in size, scorching thousands of acres and threatening hundreds of structures, the state's fire service said on April 22. New Jersey had been under an official drought warning, the state's Department of Environmental Protection said in March. (Photo by Matthew Hatcher / AFP) (Photo by MATTHEW HATCHER/AFP via Getty Images)]()
Image 2 of 20Charred trees are seen as the Jones Road Fire continues to burn in Ocean County, New Jersey on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. Some 3,000 residents were evacuated in the US state of New Jersey after a wildfire exploded in size, scorching thousands of acres and threatening hundreds of structures, the state's fire service said on April 22. New Jersey had been under an official drought warning, the state's Department of Environmental Protection said in March. (Photo by Matthew Hatcher / AFP) (Photo by MATTHEW HATCHER/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
![Smoke from the Jones Road Fire is seen over homes in a neighborhood in Ocean County, New Jersey, on April 23, 2025. Some 3,000 residents were evacuated in the US state of New Jersey after a wildfire exploded in size, scorching thousands of acres and threatening hundreds of structures, the state's fire service said on April 22. New Jersey had been under an official drought warning, the state's Department of Environmental Protection said in March. (Photo by Matthew Hatcher / AFP) (Photo by MATTHEW HATCHER/AFP via Getty Images)]()
Image 3 of 20Smoke from the Jones Road Fire is seen over homes in a neighborhood in Ocean County, New Jersey, on April 23, 2025. Some 3,000 residents were evacuated in the US state of New Jersey after a wildfire exploded in size, scorching thousands of acres and threatening hundreds of structures, the state's fire service said on April 22. New Jersey had been under an official drought warning, the state's Department of Environmental Protection said in March. (Photo by Matthew Hatcher / AFP) (Photo by MATTHEW HATCHER/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
![Jones Road Fire in New Jersey]()
Image 4 of 20The Jones Road Wildfire burns in New Jersey on April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection/TMX)
![Jones Road Fire in New Jersey]()
Image 5 of 20The Jones Road Wildfire burns in New Jersey on April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection/TMX)
![Jones Road Fire in New Jersey]()
Image 6 of 20The Jones Road Wildfire burns in New Jersey on April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection/TMX)
![Jones Road Fire in New Jersey]()
Image 7 of 20The Jones Road Wildfire burns in New Jersey on April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection/TMX)
![Jones Road Fire in New Jersey]()
Image 8 of 20The Jones Road Wildfire burns in New Jersey on April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection/TMX)
![Jones Road Fire in New Jersey]()
Image 9 of 20The Jones Road Wildfire burns in New Jersey on April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection/TMX)
![Jones Road Fire in New Jersey]()
Image 10 of 20The Jones Road Wildfire burns in New Jersey on April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection/TMX)
![Jones Road Fire in New Jersey]()
Image 11 of 20The Jones Road Wildfire burns in New Jersey on April 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection/TMX)
![A business structure destroyed by the Jones Road Wildfire in Lacey, New Jersey on April 23, 2025.]()
Image 12 of 20A business structure destroyed by the Jones Road Wildfire in Lacey, New Jersey on April 23, 2025. ( )
![A business structure destroyed by the Jones Road Wildfire in Lacey, New Jersey on April 23, 2025.]()
Image 13 of 20A business structure destroyed by the Jones Road Wildfire in Lacey, New Jersey on April 23, 2025. ( )
![Smoke from the Jones Road Fire in Ocean County, New Jersey, billows up to the sky behind a treeline on Tuesday.]()
Image 14 of 20Smoke from the Jones Road Fire in Ocean County, New Jersey, billows up to the sky behind a treeline on Tuesday. (Ocean Fire Company)
![Smoke from the Jones Road Fire in Ocean County, New Jersey, billows up to the sky behind a treeline on Tuesday.]()
Image 15 of 20Smoke from the Jones Road Fire in Ocean County, New Jersey, billows up to the sky behind a treeline on Tuesday. (Ocean Fire Company)
![Smoke from the Jones Road Fire in Ocean County, New Jersey, billows up to the sky behind a treeline on Tuesday.]()
Image 16 of 20Smoke from the Jones Road Fire in Ocean County, New Jersey, billows up to the sky behind a treeline on Tuesday. (Ocean Fire Company)
![Lacey Township is torched after the New Jersey wildfire grows to 11,500 acres Wednesday morning.]()
Image 17 of 20Lacey Township is torched after the New Jersey wildfire grows to 11,500 acres Wednesday morning. (Katie Byrne)
![Lacey Township is torched after the New Jersey wildfire grows to 11,500 acres Wednesday morning.]()
Image 18 of 20Lacey Township is torched after the New Jersey wildfire grows to 11,500 acres Wednesday morning. (Katie Byrne)
![Lacey Township is torched after the New Jersey wildfire grows to 11,500 acres Wednesday morning.]()
Image 19 of 20Lacey Township is torched after the New Jersey wildfire grows to 11,500 acres Wednesday morning. (Katie Byrne)
![Crews walk along the forest burned from the Jones Road Wildfire in Lacey Township on Monday morning.]()
Image 20 of 20Crews walk along the forest burned from the Jones Road Wildfire in Lacey Township on Monday morning. (Katie Byrne)
The situation could have been far worse, however, as officials said more than 1,300 homes were being threatened by the flames at one point. The number dwindled to eight structures by Thursday.
"It was a dangerous wildfire, moving quickly. It's pretty extreme conditions right now," New Jersey Forest Fire Warden Trevor Raynor said on Wednesday. "April 20th is about the peak of spring fire season."