FEMA Fire Management Assistance Granted for the Jones Road Wildfire in New Jersey

New York, N.Y. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Region 2 Acting Regional Administrator authorized the use of federal funds on April 24 at 9:27 p.m. to assist the state of New Jersey in combating the Jones Road Wildfire, currently burning in Ocean County, New Jersey.

On April 24, the state of New Jersey submitted a request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG). At the time of the request, approximately 15,000 acres were burning. 

The fire threatened approximately 1.845 structures in the state, including approximately 1,320 homes located mostly within Lacey and Ocean Townships, in Ocean County, combined population of more than 38,000. The fire started on April 22, 2025, and has burned in excess 15,000 acres of state and private land. 

The authorization makes federal funding available to pay up to 75 percent of the state’s eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant to assist in fighting fires that threaten to become major incidents.

FMAGs are provided through the Disaster Relief Fund and are made available by FEMA to assist in fighting fires that threaten to cause a major disaster. Eligible costs covered by FMAGs can include expenses for field camps, equipment use, materials, supplies and mobilization and demobilization activities attributed to fighting the fire. These grants do not provide assistance to individual home or business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire. For more information on FMAGs, visit fema.gov/assistance/public/fire-management-assistance.