Ocean County residents say massive forest fire was like a bad dream
MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) -- In Ocean County, firefighters say they are making major progress battling a wildfire threatening two communities.
Overnight, police evacuated 170 homes in Manchester Township and Lakehurst.
The wildfire is named the "Jimmy's Water Hole Fire," after a body of water deep in the woods.
At this time, the fire is 75% contained.
The chief of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said they still don't know what caused it.
Most roadways in the area have reopened, but two streets are still closed. Horicon Avenue and Beckerville Road off Route 70 are both closed.
Ash from the fire is still on the lawns of many of these homes, but people CBS News Philadelphia talked with Wednesday say they're thankful no one was hurt, but are still weary of what could happen next.
All is quiet on Oak Street as the wind is blowing and some neighbors are out for bike ride. It's a totally different scene from the wildfire hours before, Perry and Anthony Dupont said.
The Dupont family got orders to evacuate late Tuesday night as flames from Jimmy's Waterhole Fire crept into their neighborhood.
"It was a lot of like panicking and as a community we all came together and had each other's backs," Aliyah Terry said.
Terry lives across the street from the Duponts. She evacuated to Manchester Township High School, where the Red Cross says she and around 75 other people came to the emergency shelter.
"It's like a scary dream. Honestly, it's pretty insane. I'm just really happy everybody in the town is safe," Terry said.
The Duponts went to a family member's home in Toms River, but before leaving, Perry made sure to knock on his neighbors doors.
"I had to go to different houses and wake people up to get them out of here because it was real bad, it was real bad," Anthony Dupont said. "You don't want to leave anybody behind, especially the people in your neighborhood, who you grew up with."
Evacuation orders were lifted just before 10 a.m. Wednesday. State forestry crews and other first responders are still in the area.
"I'm still worried because the fire's still going on in certain spots, anything could double back," Anthony Dupont said.
A spokesperson for the New Jersey Red Cross Chapter says they're in constant contact with the state's emergency operations office.
They're on standby to help the first responders and in case neighbors need to evacuate again.
