The Jones Road Wildfire was 50% contained on Wednesday evening, with 12 structures threatened, officials said. They say one commercial structure has been completely destroyed.
Despite the progress, Shawn LaTourette, New Jersey's Commissioner of Environmental Protection, said fire officials expect the blaze to grow and that it could turn out to be the largest wildfire in New Jersey in 20 years.
"Thanks to the incredible, heroic work of the good men and women of our New Jersey fire service folks, homes and lives have been saved and we truly averted a major disaster," LaTourette said.
LaTourette said that no injuries have been reported.
Crews are continuing to work to contain the fire, and will work into the night, New Jersey Forest Fire Chief Bill Donnelly said. Officials stressed that until they see rainfall in the region, the wildfire threat will continue.
"New Jersey has some of the most volatile wildland fuels in the entire country. You know, everybody's used to seeing California," Donnelly said. "Well, these pine barrens out here are the exact same type of fuel model. They are just like having napalms spread across the ground."
Smoke reached other parts of the Tri-State area later Wednesday, and could drift further north on Thursday.
Eyewitness News Meteorologist Brittany Bell explains the wildfire risk to the Tri-State area and when firefighters will get some relief via rain.
NJ wildfire burns in Ocean County, could spread due to wind on Thursday
Fanned by dry vegetation and low relative humidity, the fire was first reported in Ocean County at 9:45 a.m. ET on Tuesday and exploded overnight from a few hundred acres to 8,500, according to the Forest Fire Service.
New Jersey Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, who is serving as acting governor while Gov. Phil Murphy is out of the country, declared a state of emergency in Ocean County on Wednesday morning, freeing up resources to battle the blaze.
The fire is located south of Toms River along the Garden State Parkway. At one point on Tuesday evening, flames jumped the parkway, prompting officials to close it and bringing one of New Jersey's busiest roads to a halt. The parkway and Route 9 have since reopened in both directions.
Chopper 6 overhead as NJ wildfire grows to 3,200 acres
About 5,000 residents were forced to evacuate. Debbie Schaffer, of Waretown, was one of those who had to leave.
"It's a little scary... like I didn't have an emergency bag packed, so I was kind of walking in circles knowing I had to get out of there, but trying to think, 'What do I need?'" she recalled.
The area had been under a severe drought until recently, when early spring rains helped dampen the region, but officials cautioned recent low humidity and a dry stretch have heightened the risk of fire.
The Jersey Central Power and Light Company cut power to about 25,000 customers at the request of the Forest Fire Service and the wildfire's command post Tuesday evening, including thousands in Barnegat Township. A spokesman for the company said Wednesday that some customers could have power restored later in the day.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The site of the fire is near an alpaca farm. The farm said in a Facebook post that the property wasn't threatened and all of the animals were safe.
The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.
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