The brush fire burned 167 acres in two neighborhoods earlier this week.
A New Jersey firefighter who damaged dozens of structures earlier this week and critically injured a firefighter was deliberately set on fire.
The wildlife fire broke out Sunday afternoon in Lakewood. The fire department in New Jersey contained 100% about 24 hours later after it burned 167 acres.
At least 29 homes and buildings were damaged, reports ABC Philadelphia station WPVI. Several outbuildings, fences, boats and a car were also destroyed, firefighters said.
A firefighter suffered cardiac arrest while responding to the fire and remains in a stable condition in the hospital, Bradley Billhimer, Ocean County prosecutor, said Friday afternoon.
The fire also temporarily closed sections of the Garden State Parkway, forcing more than 100 people to evacuate.
“The significance of this wildfire cannot be overstated,” Billhimer said in a statement. “We have a firefighter who suffered cardiac arrest while fighting this fire. Three homeless people living in the forest have been rescued from the raging fire. Numerous homes and commercial properties have been damaged and hundreds of people have been evacuated.”
“It is only by the grace of God that no one was killed,” he added.
The wildfire was first reported in the vicinity of Cedarbridge Avenue and Airport Road in Lakewood before arriving at neighboring Brick, where residents were evacuated Sunday night.
The “devastating” fire was driven by winds of 40 km / h, Greg McLaughlin, head of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, said in a video statement on Tuesday. Eighty-five firefighters and several aircraft responded and fought the fire through the night, he said.
Authorities have not identified the cause of the fire.
The investigation continues. Anyone with information is requested to contact Sgt. Thomas Haskell of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-929-2027, extension 3953.