Firefighters managed to bring a raging wildfire under control overnight in Ocean County, New Jersey, stopping its spread at 50 acres.
The flames began yesterday at around 2:30 pm around East Commodore Boulevard and Cedar Swamp Road in Jackson Township and spread to threaten at least 30 structures in the community.
Jackson Township is about eight miles’ distance from Lakewood, home to a large Orthodox Jewish population.
Officials predicted the flames will spread to at least 85 acres – and possibly up to 100 acres – before the blaze was contained, but managed instead to contain the flames overnight.
Multiple homes and businesses were evacuated, according to local sources.
At least 75 firefighters were involved in battling the blaze and using bulldozers to dig trenches around the fire in hopes of containing it.
No injuries have been reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Another blaze in Manchester Township is also contributing to the poor air quality in the area.
Red Flag warnings for parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania remained in effect until 8 pm Tuesday due to gusty winds, dry, hot weather and lack of rain.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service warned Tuesday that conditions were “ripe for fires to quickly get out of control.”
Firefighters worked in other areas this past weekend to put out “hot spots,” spraying water to lower the risk of sparking a blaze.
The “Flat Iron” wildfire, sparked from a lightning strike hitting a tree Friday night near homes in the town of Medford, in Burlington County, took hours to get under control.
By Saturday night, the flames had consumed 210 acres in the area, with the fire coming up to the property lines of some 40 homes. Firefighters are still monitoring the area for hotspots.
Smoke is continuing to drift into the nearby homes from the site of the blaze.
New Jersey Forest Fire Service Chief Greg McLaughlin told reporters at a news conference the state has seen nine major wildfires – “fires that we consider to be 100 acres or larger” – so far this season.
“In a typical year, and a busy year, we would normally see four or five,” McLaughlin said.
Fire restrictions were implemented across the state until Tuesday night in the hopes of preventing any other fires.
