ORANGE COUNTY, N.J. — A massive wildfire continues to burn parts of New Jersey as the state government has declared a state of emergency.

More than 11,500 acres have burned in Ocean County, with more than 1,000 buildings at one point in danger of burning down.

The fire forced evacuations of about 5,000 people and the closure of a major highway, both of which have been lifted, The Associated Press reported.

The fire is south of Toms River near the Garden State Parkway.

Luckily, no one has been injured in the blaze, which is expected to continue to grow until rains come later this week, officials said.

Officials said it could be the largest wildfire in the Garden State in 20 years, CNN reported.

Only about 30% of the fire has been contained and an official cause had not been determined by Wednesday afternoon.

So far, only a commercial building and some cars have been destroyed.

The fire is in an area of wilderness, but is near the start of residential areas, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said.

“It’s the interface where the environment and development meet,” LaTourette explained.

The region had been in a severe drought, but spring rains helped bring some moisture to the area. But there has been another dry stretch of weather and low humidity.

This was the second forest fire in the area in less than a week.

Last year at this time, there were about 310 wildfires in New Jersey, while this year there have been 662 wildfires, ABC News reported.

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