The fire, which was reported at 1:30 pm, started in Lakewood Township and spread to Garden State Parkway due to wind conditions, New Jersey Forest Fire Service spokesman Maris Gabliks said at a news conference on Sunday.
The fire is 50% contained and still threatens several residential, commercial and business structures, Gabliks told reporters.
“We have extremely strong winds with low humidity that help the fire to grow, but also impair the ability of firefighters to contain and control the fire,” Gabliks told reporters. “No houses have been lost at this point, but there are houses that have been damaged.”
Several hundred people have been evacuated from the affected areas and several roadblocks are underway, but no injuries have been reported at this time, said Gabliks. There was a report of an injured firefighter, but Gabliks said he had no further information.
Several commercial buildings and outbuildings were damaged, but officials are not sure of the exact number at the moment, he said.
“During the initial operations, there were two commercial structures, one and a half-story office buildings, which were exposed to fire – we lost one commercial structure entirely and we partially lost another,” said Lakewood Fire Department Chief Jonathan Yahr said at the press conference.
Firefighters must remain in the area fighting the flames during the night to fully contain the fire.
The wind warning and warning remain in effect until 5 pm and midnight on Monday, respectively.
Authorities are not sure how the fire started, but it is under investigation, said Gabliks.
Correction: An earlier version of this story distorted the name of a New Jersey municipality. It’s Brick Township.