FLASH NEWS
New Jersey/ Fires devour forests, thousands evacuated
2025-04-23 18:07:06 / BOTA
A massive forest fire broke out on the east coast of the United States on Tuesday.
Drone footage shows its size, devastating flames and thick clouds of smoke.
Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate from surrounding towns. The cause of the fire is still unknown, but dry weather and strong winds are helping it spread further.
The US state of New Jersey has been engulfed by a massive wildfire that broke out on Tuesday. The fire is burning about 3,500 hectares in Ocean County.
So far, only 10 percent of the fire has been contained. Its cause is still under investigation and has not been determined.
The fire has also been recorded by the meteorological service Windy.com, which, in addition to weather forecasts, also offers tracking of fires around the world through the "Active Fires" layer.
The rapidly spreading flames have threatened about 1,300 homes. Thousands of residents in Ocean Township, Lakewood and Lacey Township have been ordered to evacuate. Voluntary evacuations have also been extended to other neighborhoods.
The Ocean County Sheriff's Office told CBS News Tuesday night that there were no reported injuries, but several businesses were damaged, mostly in Lacey Township. An assessment of the damage to the buildings has not yet been completed.
The fire is already affecting the entire state. According to data from the portal PowerOutage.us, almost 26,000 customers in Ocean County are without power.
Several roads have also been closed due to low visibility, including the Garden State Parkway, one of New Jersey's main thoroughfares.
It is precisely the low visibility and high air pollution that are making the situation the most difficult. This is being caused by the dense clouds of black smoke and ash coming from the fire.
High levels of smoke remained in the area overnight, as the wind gradually began to calm.
The very strong wind, which reached speeds of over 40 km/h on Tuesday, may be one of the factors that have influenced the spread of the fire. Although the wind weakened on Wednesday, it is expected to strengthen again in the coming days.
The fire broke out at a time when an official drought warning is in effect in New Jersey, following a period of much lower than average rainfall.
Air temperatures, on the other hand, are currently significantly above the multi-year average. It is expected that rainfall over the weekend may help improve the situation.
Although fires are not as common in this region as in some other parts of the US, such occurrences are not unknown to this area.
In November, the Jennings Creek Fire in New Jersey and New York burned several thousand acres. An average of about 3,500 acres of forest burns in New Jersey each year, so the fire that broke out on Tuesday has already reached the annual average.
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