Evacuations Ordered as Jones Road Wildfire Threatens Barnegat Area

Barnegat, New Jersey — The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has ordered mandatory evacuations in the area of the uncontained, 150-acre Jones Road Wildfire near the Waretown border. Evacuations are taking place along Route 532 from Bryant Road to the Garden State Parkway.

The Ocean County Sheriff’s Office issued a public alert warning motorists that the parkway is ‘possibly going to be shut down in the Waretown area’ due to the fire. Exit 69 serves Waretown, with Exit 74 in Lacey to the north and Exit 67 in Barnegat to the south.

Twelve structures along Bryant Road and Route 532, also known as Wells Mills Road, are currently threatened by the blaze. In response, three roads have been closed: Route 532 between Route 72 and the Garden State Parkway, Bryant Road between Routes 532 and 539, and Jones Road between Route 532 and Bryant Road. Wells Mills County Park is also closed.

The wildfire was first reported at approximately 10:15 a.m. The forest fire service, alongside emergency crews, is actively battling the fire using fire engines, bulldozers, and ground crews. A helicopter capable of dropping 300 gallons of water and an aircraft — a contact air tanker capable of dropping 600 gallons — are also involved in firefighting efforts.

As of now, the cause of the wildfire remains under investigation. A Nixle alert from the Barnegat Police Department indicated around noon that approximately 5 acres were on fire west of Route 532 but reassured that there was no immediate danger to the public.

According to the forest fire service, a brush fire is classified as a major wildfire once it exceeds 100 acres. The service indicates a high risk of wildfires in the southern part of the state, with a moderate risk in the north. Annually, about 1,500 wildfires damage or destroy an average of 7,000 acres of forest in New Jersey.

Stay tuned for further developments on this breaking story.