Firefighters make serious progress against wildfire in Manchester Township
MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- As of Wednesday afternoon, the massive wildfire in Ocean County was 60% contained, officials said. Firefighters are still battling hot spots but they believe they have a good handle on the situation.
Residents were allowed back into their homes.
Fire officials say the blaze had the potential of being catastrophic, but thanks to heroic firefighters no one was injured and no properties were damaged.
The massive inferno that raged through the Pine Barrens on Tuesday came dangerously close to 70 homes in Manchester. Police quickly evacuated residents as the fire rapidly grew.
"Oh, it was very scary. The cops had came knocking on the door and I didn't know what was going on," resident Daysha Fair said.
Other residents, including Daym Gomez, were allowed back into homes that sit next to charred ground on Beckerville Road, where the fire was still smoldering on Wednesday.
"Just to see all my childhood friends and my childhood home threatened [by] such a big blaze, it was insane," Gomez said. "Some people are leaving just because how bad the smoke is."
Fire officials said what's being dubbed as "Jimmy's water hole fire" has consumed nearly 4,000 acres of land, mostly federal property. They also said the flames were fueled by breezy conditions and warm weather.
"We saw a wall of fire, 200-foot flames raining fire embers," said Gregory McLaughlin, chief of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
Thirty-two fire departments battled the blaze, including the Forest Fire Service and volunteers.
"The fire jumped Route 539 and was burning east of that going toward Lakehurst," said Trevor Raynor of the Forest Fire Service.
Firefighters were still knocking down hot spots on Wednesday and a thick smoke remained hovering over communities along the Pinelands. Residents said they've never seen it so bad.
"Smells like just straight burnt right now. It's a smell that ain't going to go away," resident Chris Hernandez said.
Fire officials called Wednesday a much worse day in terms of fire conditions and hoped to wrap up their efforts.
Some roads still remain closed in the area. As for what caused the wildfire, officials still don't know, but said 99% of fires are caused by humans, whether intentional or accidental.
Meanwhile, two other brush fires that were burning in Teaneck and Jersey City have been put out. But rising temperatures and dry, windy conditions bring the risk of even more fires.
All of North Jersey has been put on alert for "very high risk" of forest fires by the state Department of Environmental Protection. That is the agency's second-highest rating.
On Tuesday night, dry and windy conditions fueled the blaze in Teaneck, consuming part of an 800-acre park. Flames were seen shooting up as the fire grew off Teaneck Road, just a few yards from people's homes.
Crews from 14 towns responded. Evacuations were not needed, but Teaneck Police did have to warn everyone near the Teaneck portion of Overpeck Park to take precautions.
There was another massive fire earlier in the afternoon in Jersey City. Recycled paper burned outside Reliable Paper Recycling, and then wind-whipped embers ignited brush fires on the Jersey Turnpike Extension all the way to the Exit 14C Plaza by the Holland Tunnel.
Workers say the fire started inside the plant and spread fast. At one point, smoke could be seen rising behind the Statue of Liberty.
New Jersey officials say such fires are not unusual in April, which is considered the peak month for wildfires.
