Thousands evacuated in New Jersey wildfire

The Jones Road Wildfire started in the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management area in Ocean County on Tuesday and exploded in size to 12,500 acres, the Forest Fire Service said.

Officials: Ocean County wildfire consumes more than 13,200 acres, is 50% contained.

Embers from the blaze reached the facility Tuesday evening, but Pat O'Brien, a spokesman for Holtec International Corp., the plant's owner, said they were all safely extinguished and that there were no additional fires spotted near the grounds as of Wednesday afternoon.

A fast-moving wildfire in the Pine Barrens section of southern New Jersey had spread to 12,500 acres of the heavily forested area by Wednesday afternoon, and was among the biggest fires in the state in almost 20 years, authorities said.