MANCHESTER, N.J.—A fire that tore through 6 square miles of New Jersey’s Pine Barrens this week has now been fully contained, authorities said Thursday.
The blaze in Manchester, near Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, forced the evacuation of around 170 homes late Tuesday, with police and fire officials going door-to-door to ask people to take temporary shelter at a nearby high school.
Firefighters were confronted by 200-foot flames as they battled the blaze, which rained down embers. Helicopters filled large containers with water from a nearby lake Wednesday and dropped it on the flames.
No one was injured and no homes were damaged. The cause remains under investigation….