Lakewood NJ 2-Alarm Fire Engulfs Vacant Home Heavy Fire on Arrival (Nov 25, 2025)

On Tuesday night, November 25, 2025, at approximately 9 PM, Lakewood Fire Dispatch received multiple 911 calls reporting a fire in the woods near 5th Street. The incident was initially dispatched as a brush fire, but responding police officers advised that the blaze appeared to involve a structure. Moments later, Engine 1 confirmed a working structure fire with heavy fire showing from the rear of a vacant home.

Due to unsafe conditions and the confirmed status of the building as vacant, Chief 1 ordered that no crews enter the structure. Firefighters stretched a hoseline and initiated an exterior attack. Upon the chief’s arrival, he reported heavy fire visible from the front and all sides of the building, with an exposure concern involving a nearby residence.

The fire rapidly intensified, prompting an upgrade to a second alarm. Mutual aid companies from Howell Township, Jackson Township, and Point Pleasant Borough were requested to the scene. Crews operated for several hours as the fire progressed to a second vacant structure on the property. Firefighters were able to contain the exposure and bring the secondary building under control.

No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit–Arson Squad, the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, the Lakewood Township Police Department Detective Bureau, and the Ocean County Crime Scene Investigation Unit.

This video documents fire conditions on arrival, suppression efforts, and multi-agency operations during the incident.