PHL officials in USA check if Pinoys affected by NJ forest fire

Philippine officials in the United States are now checking on the safety of Filipinos in parts of New Jersey, in the wake of a forest fire there.

The Philippine embassy in Washington D.C. said the Philippine Consulate General in New York has so far not received any report of Filipinos affected by the fires in Ocean County.

"Consulate checking on Filipinos living near fire-affected areas to ascertain their well-being. There are 5,000 Filipinos in Ocean County," the embassy said on its Twitter account before dawn Saturday, PHL time.

It also posted a link to an NBC New York story indicating the New Jersey forest fires forced residents to flee their homes, and schools to close.

The NBC news report said firefighters in New Jersey had to deal with five forest fires Thursday in Ocean County.

It said the first fire began Thursday morning at Grand Central Parkway and Berkeley Avenue near the Berkeley Township border Thursday. The fire razed more 300 acres and threatened homes but was contained Thursday night.

Four other brush fires occurred in Ocean County, with the largest razing some 569 acres in Franklin Township.

Another fire broke out about five miles from the initial blaze Thursday afternoon, while two smaller fires occurred in Lacey and Jackson. — Joel Locsin /LBG, GMA News

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