Fire Risk High 1 Year After Jones Road Wildfire Blazed Through 15K Acres

LACEY, NJ — Driving through Lacey and Waretown, you can still see charred trees one year after the Jones Road Wildfire burned through more than 15,000 acres, the largest wildfire in New Jersey in the past 20 years.

On the night of April 21, 2025, then-19-year-old Joseph Kling and friends started a bonfire in the area of the Forked River Mountains and did not properly extinguish it. Kling and a 17-year-old were both charged.

READ MORE: 'We Caused The Fire," NJ Wildfire Suspect's Girlfriend Admits In Message: Affidavit

The blaze quickly spread through Lacey and Waretown. One commercial building in Lacey was completely destroyed, along with several outbuildings and vehicles. There were no injuries or loss of life reported.

It took 20 days to contain, threatening 1,300 structures and forcing the evacuation of more than 7,000 residents.

Kling will next be in court for a hearing on May 9.

"That day began as a marginal fire day, when suddenly conditions shifted and it became an exceptional fire day," said State Fire Warden Bill Donnelly in the New Jersey Forest Fire Service's spring media briefing. "That's a reminder that conditions can change quickly."

2026 Fire Season

Despite heavy snow during the winter, conditions in New Jersey remain dry, Donnelly said.

"The risk is real," he said.

With an active fire season predicted, the Department of Environmental Protection has awarded $90,000 in grants to 22 high-risk communities.

Those communities include Brighton at Barnegat Firewise Association, $3,500; Four Seasons at Mirage Homeowners Association, Heritage Bay Homeowners Association, Heritage Point Homeowners Association, Horizons at Barnegat Homeowners Association, and Pheasant Run Barnegat, $4,200 each; Pinewood Estates Firewise, $2,000 and Greenbriar Oceanaire Community Association, Inc., $4,200.

The state also recently installed its first new fire tower in 78 years in Jackson.

“Veterans Fire Tower will strengthen the Forest Fire Service’s ability to protect an area of Ocean and Monmouth counties especially prone to wildfire,” said Acting DEP Commissioner Ed Potosnak. “DEP is delivering this tower as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce wildfire risk through public education and awareness, and prescribed fire operations as the Forest Fire Service enters peak wildfire season.”

The tower stands at 133 feet tall and helps protect more than 516,000 residents and nearly 200,000 homes across Ocean and Monmouth counties.

“As New Jersey continues to see the effects of climate change, including an increase in the number of annual fire weather days, it is more important than ever to ensure we have eyes in the sky protecting New Jerseyans from wildfire,” said John Cecil, Assistant Commissioner for State Parks, Forests & Historic Sites. “Construction of the Veterans Fire Tower is one of several recent investments in the Forest Fire Service, along with additional funding for upgraded equipment and expanded staffing.”