New Jersey Fire on Track to Be State’s Largest in 18 Years (2)

A forest fire in New Jersey threatened to become the state’s largest in almost two decades as dry conditions gripped the region and crews from surrounding areas joined in to fight the blaze.

The fire in Ocean County, about 90 miles south of New York City, spread across 21 square miles (54 square kilometers) — nearly the size of Manhattan — by Thursday morning. The blaze was 50% contained along its perimeter, which state fire officials said is expected to expand over the next few days.

Though one commercial structure has been destroyed, officials said Wednesday morning that fire crews ...