A Year After Forest Fire Consumed 167 Acres In Brick Lakewood, Arson Case Remains Unsolved

BRICK, NJ — On a clear, sunny Sunday a year ago, smoke rising from a fire in Lakewood caught the attention of an observer at the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Observation Tower nearby.

Seemingly within minutes, wind whipped the blaze into a forest fire, blowing embers across the Garden State Parkway and across Route 70, causing spot fires while hundreds of firefighters battled to contain the flames that were threatening homes in Brick Lake Park.

Authorities halted traffic on the Parkway for several hours, and later closed parts of several nearby roads, including Cedar Bridge Avenue and Route 70 as flames spread.

The fire ended up consuming 167 acres of trees and destroying two commercial buildings. It damaged 29 homes in Brick, and destroyed sheds and vehicles.

There was a human toll, too. A firefighter suffered a heart attack while fighting the blaze. He was hospitalized for six weeks before he was finally able to go home. Hundreds of residents were forced to evacuate as the flames advanced toward Brick Lake Park.

And three homeless people who had been camping in the wooded area not far from Brick Lake Park, behind Lowes, lost their belongings when their encampments were destroyed. Two were a married couple who had fallen on hard times. Those times got even more difficult when the wife, Kathleen Winits, was hit by a car while crossing Route 70 and died, three weeks after the fire.

"We have located the origin of the fire and have concluded that the fire was intentionally set," Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said on March 19, five days after the fire. "The significance of this wildland fire cannot be overstated. It is only by the grace of God that no one was killed."

Read more: Ocean County Forest Fire 'Intentionally Set,' Prosecutor Says

Since then, detectives have continued to try to find the person or people responsible for the fire. Authorities have never pinpointed where the fire was started, and they have not revealed what was used to start it.

"It is still an active investigation," the prosecutor's office said Monday.

One firefighter suffered a heart attack while fighting the fire, authorities said. Six weeks later, he was finally able to go home. Read more: 6 Weeks After Forest Fire, Toms River Firefighter Goes Home

In June last year, Billhimer said detectives had tried to interview nearly 60 people and reviewed video from cameras in the area near the fire.

"The vast majority of these potential witnesses have been less than cooperative with our investigation, and as such, we are currently at an impasse at this point in time," Billhimer said at the time. Read more: 'Uncooperative' Witnesses Hinder Brick Wildfire Probe: Prosecutor

They are still hopeful that someone who witnessed the fire will speak up.

The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Major Crime Unit's Arson Squad is continuing to work on the investigation along with other law enforcement agencies. Anyone who has information about the fire or who is responsible is urged to contact Sgt. Thomas Haskell of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office at 732-929-2027, ext. 3953.

Previous coverage:

• NJ Forest Fire Updates: 167 Acres Burned, 100 Percent Contained
• Homes Damaged, Firefighter Critical As Fire Burns In Ocean County
• Ocean County Forest Fire 'Intentionally Set,' Prosecutor Says
• Brick Lake Park Residents Thank Firefighters For Saving Homes
• Ocean Co. Woman Killed On Route 70 Lost Home In In Forest Fire
• 6 Weeks After Forest Fire, Toms River Firefighter Goes Home

Click here to get Patch email notifications, or download our app to have breaking news alerts sent right to your phone. Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com Follow Brick Patch on Facebook.