A wildfire raging in Ocean County reached 3,200 acres on Tuesday night, prompting concerns for residents, homes, wildlife — and a former power plant in Lacey Township.
Oyster Creek, the former nuclear plant, was shut down in 2018 but “spent fuel” remains on-site and a small fire was reported (and put out) earlier in the evening, a spokesman for the property told NJ Advance Media.
The former power plant is in one of the areas currently under the New Jersey Forest Fire Service’s mandatory evacuation. As of 8 p.m. the fire, dubbed the “Jones Road Forest Fire,” was just 5% contained.
Earlier in the evening “embers from the fire” blew onto a small patch of grass on the power plant’s property north of buildings and structures there, according to Patrick O’Brien, a spokesman for Holtec, which owns the power plant property.
That fire was “completely and safely extinguished,” he said.
“Oyster Creek Security Personnel are keeping careful round-the-clock watch on all of the site property to ensure protection from the current forest fire in Waretown,” O’Brien added.
New Jersey Forest Fire Service remains on scene of a wildfire burning in Ocean and Lacey Townships in Ocean County. The fire had grown to 3,200 acres with 5% containment on Tuesday night.N.J. Forest Fire Service
Asked about any nuclear materials on-site at Oyster Creek, O’Brien of Holtec, said “spent fuel is still on-site, as with every nuclear plant in the country, but it is in harden(ed) cask systems that are built to withstand these types of extreme scenarios, including fire.”
He said power plant personnel are monitoring the blaze and have equipment staged if needed.
The property’s owners said Tuesday night that today there is less to protect on-site given the ongoing decommissioning work and the removal of structures there since 2018.
Still, O’Brien noted that Holtec personnel have taken necessary steps to keep the site “fire-safe” and are in touch with local and state fire officials as response efforts continue.
The wildfire has led to the evacuation of at least 3,000 residents in the Ocean County area, with many more on high alert nearby.
“That entire area is pretty much under mandatory evacuation (including) the areas around it,” Lacey Township Captain Paul Sullivan said on the phone Tuesday night of the power plant site.
Only able to speak briefly, as he was on the response, Sullivan said: “Obviously there’s protections in place for a lot of structures, including the power plant.”
So far, as many as 1,300 buildings and homes were being threatened by the Ocean County fire and multiple shelters were on hand to assist affected families. Local groups were also assisting animals in need.
As the fire expanded, smoke has covered the sky in many areas. People — as far south as Atlantic City and at least as far north as Brick Township — said they were able to see it.
Flames extending into the sky could also be seen behind an industrial complex in Lacey, just off Route 9, according to a video posted on Facebook.
Authorities recommended residents seeking permanent shelter to head to Manchester Township High School.
At 9:46 p.m., the Lacey Township Police Department told residents the status of the power grid in the area of the Oyster Creek nuclear plant is not known and people should prepare “for the possibility of an extended power outage as there may be damaged power lines and transformers.”
Police reminded families that power was shut off by JCP&L to prevent additional fires as a result of arcing wires.
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Steven Rodas may be reached at srodas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Bluesky at @stevenrodas.bsky.social.