A wildfire in New Jersey has damaged dozens of homes

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The fire damaged dozens of homes and at least two mixed-use buildings were destroyed in the blaze, but “not a single home was significantly damaged,” the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said late Sunday night.

Residents evacuated from Brick Township on Sunday evening were allowed to return home from 7 p.m., the post said.

As the fire ripped through the Jackson and Brick Township area, about 50 miles east of Philadelphia, people who had not yet been evacuated on Sunday afternoon began to prepare to leave the area should the fire spread further, NJ said. com.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Roni Anderson, who said she saw a helicopter fly over the fire on Sunday afternoon, told NJ.com.

Anderson said her husband decided to drive home from work in case they needed to evacuate, but wasn’t even able to reach the neighborhood because of the fire, NJ.com said.

Instead, she told the publication, her husband parked his car at a store and walked home. The couple put their important documents and photos in another container in preparation for their evacuation.

The cause of the fire is being investigated

The fire was first reported around 1:30 pm in Lakewood Township. Fueled by high winds, the flames sprang across the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Forest Fire Service spokesman Maris Gabliks said at a news conference on Sunday.

Parts of the parkway remained closed early Monday morning as firefighters continued to fight the fire, one tweet of the New Jersey Department of Transportation said.

Although the origin of the fire has been established, the cause is still being investigated, according to an update on the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. The agency said the cause was not due to a prescribed burn.

Officials said in the update that two mixed-use buildings were destroyed and some support structures, such as barns, in the residential area were affected.

As of Sunday night, the fire was at least 50% under control, Gabliks told reporters at the press conference.

Firefighters are expected to stay in the area all night fighting the blaze to fully control the fire.

Large wildfires are rare in New Jersey

The National Weather Service issued a red flag and wind advisory warning in the area late Sunday afternoon, warning of “critical fire conditions” due to high winds of up to 50 mph and low relative humidity.

The warning and wind advice remain in effect until 5:00 PM and midnight on Monday, respectively.

“Larger wildfires are unusual or rare for NJ,” said CNN Meteorologist Michael Guy. A combination of very low humidity and warm temperatures in the area could have contributed to the spread.

“We have extremely strong winds with low humidity that help the fire grow, but also the fire fighters’ ability to control and control the fire,” said Gabliks.

CNN’s Ganesh Setty, Joe Sutton and Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to this report.

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