CHATSWORTH, New Jersey — A fast-moving wildfire was burning in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, but officials Wednesday lifted earlier evacuation orders and a stretch of a major highway that was closed due to the blaze has reopened.
More than 1,300 structures were threatened and about 3,000 residents had been evacuated, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said. Officials said Wednesday morning that evacuation orders were lifted. Shelters were open at two high schools, according to the Barnegat Police Department.
The Garden State Parkway, one of New Jersey’s busiest highways, reopened Wednesday morning after officials closed a roughly 7-mile stretch in the southern part of the state. The fire in Ocean and Lacey townships, which officials are calling the Jones Road Fire, had reached about 13 square miles.
The fire service planned to give an update at a news conference late Wednesday morning.
