New Jersey wildfire swells to more than 8,000 acres, prompting evacuations and closing major highway

Evacuation orders were issued in New Jersey and traffic on the major Garden State Parkway was being diverted because of a wildfire that began Tuesday and grew to 8,500 acres, officials said.

Evacuation orders were issued in New Jersey and traffic on the major Garden State Parkway was being diverted because of a wildfire that began Tuesday and grew to 8,500 acres, officials said.

Around 3,000 people have been told to evacuate from the area of the Jones Road Fire in Ocean County, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said.

The service announced on social media shortly before 12:30 p.m. that the fire was burning in the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area in Barnegat Township.

A massive wildfire in Ocean County, N.J., on Tuesday.NBC PhiladelphiaIt was 10% contained Tuesday night. The cause remains under investigation.

No deaths or injuries have been reported, but the state forest fire service said that 1,320 structures were threatened. Damage assessments were underway, it said.