Volunteers and staff with a non-profit that helps the homeless are walking down dirt roads looking for men and women they say are living in the woods where a massive 11,500 acre wildfire burned in Ocean County.

“When we heard about the fire in the woods, it obviously raised our alarms,” said Paul Hulse, the President and CEO of Just Believe Inc. in Toms River on Wednesday. “We are trying to see if anyone is still in those areas.”

The Ocean County Sheriff’s Department said during a press conference on Wednesday to address the major wildfire that it is not aware of anyone living in the woods.

However, Hulse said his organization estimates at least eight people are living in tents in the area of the industrial park off Wells Mills Road in Waretown, part of Ocean Township.

His group is aware of these individuals because they regularly deliver food to them.

 “We’re checking. We’re not sure how far we will get,” he said. “There’s always a concern when there is a fire like this.

The fire, being called the Jones Road fire, began mid-morning Tuesday in the Greenwood Management Area, before rapidly spreading in parts of Ocean Township, Barnegat Township and Lacey Township. It prompted the evacuation of 5,000 residents as the flames creeped closer toward residential areas.

Power was cut to more than 25,000 JCP&L customers and parts of the Garden State Parkway and Route 9 were closed for hours on Tuesday.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation and state officials said it could be days before the fire is contained and extinguished.

Hulse sent out a group of 10 employees and volunteers to search Wednesday morning.

The group is searching in the Wells Mills area and in Lacey Township.

“Our case workers are looking right now in Lacey over by the industrial park,” Hulse said.

As of noon on Wednesday, Just Believe Inc. caseworkers Sheena Horahan and Donna Ryan, and Supervisor Staci Labuaskus were walking on trails in Waretown.

“Where the industrial park is located, there is a pocket of homeless,” Hulse said. “We’re just starting to skim the area right now.”

The group also is checking on people who have been placed in motels, but do not have power.

“We are trying to do our due diligence for these people,” he said.

Big wildfire in Ocean County, NJ – Day 2

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Stephanie Loder may be reached at [email protected].