The wildfire, the largest of the season so far in New Jersey, has grown to 5,000 acres, and its smoke and firefighting operations forced the closure of the Garden State Parkway in both directions near Bass River State Forest for hours this tomorrow.
However, the northbound and southbound lanes were opened around 9:30 a.m. Friday.
New Jersey firefighters said early Friday they were working to contain a state wildfire near Allen Road in Ocean County. Firefighters have managed to contain 50% of the fire, which started on Wednesday night.
No buildings were damaged and no one was injured.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority, which operates the Garden State Parkway, said in a social media post early Friday that it initially closed the interchange between 38th and 63rd until further notice due to "reduced visibility due to to smoke". Under thick river. "Fires and dense fog in wooded areas of the state."
Most of the main roads in the area have been opened. But Camp Timberline is closed, as is the Batona Trail, a 53-mile trail through the Pine Barrens that crosses Bass River State Forest.
It's a big fire season and May is especially dry. Officials credited Operation Boomerang, or the deliberate starting of fires along the lines of fire, for bringing the fire under control.
It was the second big fire of the year.
In April, a wildfire burned 3,859 acres in a wooded area of South Jersey surrounded by homes, businesses and military installations. It took several days to be contained and was named the "Jimmy's Water Fire" by the state forest fire department.
The fire, which started in Manchester Township in Ocean County, initially threatened several buildings before it was brought under control. Nobody was hurt.
The current fire is called the Allen Street Fire. It started as a small wildfire Wednesday night, grew to hundreds of acres as it grew overnight, and reached 2,000 acres Thursday morning, then reached its current size Thursday night.
Bass River State Forest is the oldest state forest in New Jersey, having been logged in 1905. It contains the Absegami Lake Natural Area and is located within the Pinelands National Preserve, a million-acre protected area. It marks the southern terminus of the 53-mile Batona Trail through the Wharton and Brendan Byrne State Forests.
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