A “very large” brush fire has ignited in the western part of Beachwood, prompting evacuations of nearby homes and at least one school, according to the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office.
The blaze began about 11:45 a.m. in Beachwood and has burned into neighboring Berkeley Township, according to Cindy Valloreo, an agency service representative for the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
Between 150 and 200 acres are burning east of the Garden State Parkway near exit 77. The fire was not contained as of 1:45 p.m., Valloreo said.
The nearest major road to the fire is Grand Central Parkway in Bayville, the spokeswoman said.
The sheriff’s office said residents on Northern Boulevard in the Bayville section of Berkeley Township are being told to evacuate their homes. Toms River Intermediate South School students are to be picked up at Pine Belt Arena in Toms River, the sheriff’s office said.
Earlier today, the National Weather Service issued a “red flag warning” across the entire state, effective until 8 tonight.
Already this morning a 1,500-acre forest fire is burning in Cumberland County, near the Delaware Bay – and forecasters said even a stray cigarette butt could cause problems anywhere in New Jersey.
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