MANCHESTER – Authorities are now investigating the cause of a fast-moving brush fire that charred up close to 100 acres before it was contained.
A Nixle alert was sent out shortly after the blaze started around 8 a.m. Sunday, May 17. Crews from the Whiting Fire Company and the State Forest Fire service were dispatched to the Harry Wright Boulevard section of town. At that point, only 20 acres had burned.
According to a Facebook post from Whiting Fire Company Station 33, crews aggressively went to work but with dry conditions, continued burning and spreading. The fire never reached residential structures near the area.
In the end, a total of 99 acres were consumed by the fire and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department along with Manchester Police are handling the probe.
The Forked River Fire Department, Ocean County Fire Coordinator and the Ocean County Fire Marshals Office aided in the firefighting efforts.
