“I've never been more happy in my life to see
rain and I don't really like rain,” says fire victim Lisa Lerche. “I'd rather
have snow, but I'll take anything that's coming down.
The fire torched 167 acres, destroyed some buildings in Lakewood and
damaged 29 homes on the other side of the woods in Brick Township, including
Lerche’s.
“We were let back in and there were still fires igniting behind some of
the houses, so we thought we were going to be evacuated again.”
The extreme dryness contributed to the fast-spreading nature of
Sunday's fire, and while investigators say they have pinpointed a point of
origin, the cause is still under review.
Fire season runs until full leaf out in New Jersey, typically around May
1.