New Jersey forest fire forces thousands to evacuate and temporarily closed a major highway

BARNEGAT TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — A fast-moving wildfire still burning in New Jersey on Wednesday forced thousands of people to evacuate and temporarily closed a stretch of a major highway.

The Garden State Parkway, one of New Jersey’s busiest highways, was closed between Barnegat and Lacey townships on Tuesday night. It has since reopened, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office posted online Wednesday morning.

More than 1,300 structures were threatened and about 3,000 residents were evacuated, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said. Shelters were open at two...
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