New Jersey

Brush Fires Close Portion of Garden State Parkway Due to Heavy Smoke

NBC Universal, Inc.

A section of the Garden State Parkway closed Wednesday evening after brush fires broke out in the woods nearby — and was still closed well into the night.

The road was closed in both directions between exits 91 and 98 in Brick starting around 6:20 p.m., when the smoke from the fires got so thick it was too dangerous for drivers.

The highway remained closed for hours. As of 11:30 p.m., that section of the highway was still shut down, and there was no word as to when the road might reopen.

Chopper 4 flew over the area, and fires could be seen burning on both sides of the parkway and in the median.

Investigators are working to determine what could have sparked the fires. No injuries were reported, but plenty of traffic woes from the backups the fires caused.

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