New Jersey wildfire leads to evacuations

Authorities say at least 50 per cent of the fire has been contained

A massive forest fire burns near a church in Ocean County, New Jersey, as firefighters battle the blaze. AP

A New Jersey wildfire tore through about 1,500 hectares of the state's pine barrens, raining down embers as firefighters confronted 60-metre-high flames, officials said on Wednesday.

No injuries were reported and property remained intact.

The blaze in Manchester, near Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, forced the evacuation of dozens of homes late on Tuesday, with police going door-to-door to ask people to go to a temporary shelter at a nearby high school.

Governor Phil Murphy said the fire has brought about “several evacuations and road closures in the area”.

The White House said President Joe Biden had spoken with Mr Murphy “to offer federal assistance” if needed.

The fire started on Tuesday afternoon amid gusty winds, warm temperatures, low humidity and dried-out fuel, according to Trevor Raynor, a warden with the state's forest fire service.

The blaze was about 50 per cent contained as of Wednesday morning, and officials said they did not expect its perimeter to grow further.

“This fire exhibited extreme fire behaviour,” said John Cecil, an assistant commissioner in the state's Department of Environmental Protection. “I don’t mean to be dramatic, but this was a severe situation that these guys and gals managed to keep in a place and protect lives and property from that.”

Firefighters initially tried to keep the blaze — named the Jimmy's Waterhole fire after a waterhole where the blaze was particularly intense — from crossing Route 539, but could not stop the flames, Mr Raynor said.

Eventually, a perimeter, using pavement, roadways and other barriers, was constructed, he added. There were about 75 firefighters, two helicopters, bulldozers and 15 fire engines involved.

Manchester and the Defence Department's military installation are nestled in the state's pinelands, a 400,000-hectare preserve, about halfway between Philadelphia to the west and the Atlantic coast to the east.

A cause of the fire was not given, but authorities said they are investigating.

Dry, warm weather is forecast for the coming days, with the next chance for rain not expected until the weekend. The National Weather Service said there was an elevated risk of wildfire spread.

The Associated Press contributed to this report