Fires in NYC, NJ today: Latest updates, weather forecast, maps
Exhausted crews worn out battling NJ, NY wildfires
The NYC Tri-State is the driest it’s been in nearly 120 years, creating perfect conditions for wildfires to spark and grow. FOX 5 NY’s Richard Giacovas reports from Greenwood Lake, New York, talking to exhausted crews and sharing updates from the ground.
NEW YORK - A Fire Weather Watch remains in effect as the New York City Tri-State is the driest it’s been in nearly 120 years, creating perfect conditions for wildfires to spark and grow in bone-dry areas that haven’t seen significant rain since August.
This has prompted New Jersey to declare a drought warning, a school district to close and smoke to billow over the NYC skyline. Even residents who aren’t threatened by the flames have been smelling the smoke and are impacted by poor air quality.
JUMP TO: FIRE FORECAST | WILDFIRE MAPS | JENNINGS CREEK FIRE | NYC BRUSH FIRES | DROUGHT WARNING
The Jennings Creek Fire in NJ
Here’s the latest on weather conditions and wildfires burning in New York and New Jersey.
Fire Forecast
According to the National Weather Service, an elevated Fire Weather Risk will pick back up on Friday for this part of the Interstate 95 corridor and last through Sunday.
A look at the fire weather alerts issued in the Northeast through Tuesday. (FOX Weather)
Parts of Connecticut are under a Red Flag Warning as of Thursday evening.
The weather forecast does not show significant rain hitting New York City in the coming days. Fortunately, the U.S. Climate Prediction Center says next week looks relatively wet for the eastern third of the U.S.
Wildfire maps
AirNow has an interactive Fire and Smoke Map for updates on blazes in your area. The National Interagency Fire Center has also partnered with NASA to provide real-time interactive fire maps.
24-hour Tri-State fire map (captured Thursday evening)
Air quality map
This map from AirNow.gov shows the current air quality in the New York City area. Click HERE if you're having trouble viewing the embedded map.
Jennings Creek Fire: Passaic County, NJ, and Orange County, NY
Firefighting crews continued efforts to contain a wildfire in a woodland on the New Jersey-New York border that has burned around 7.8 square miles in the two states.
Dubbed the Jennings Creek Fire by New Jersey officials, the wildfire ravaging the New Jersey-New York border in Passaic and Orange counties is now 75% contained.
The wildfire started spreading over the weekend and has burned nearly 2,300 acres so far in New Jersey and approximately 5,000 acres total.
WEST MILFORD, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 9: Smoke and flames rise as wildfire burns and spreads on a mountain in West Milford, New Jersey, United States on November 9, 2024. Large flames have overtaken the mountain and more than 2000 acres
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul instituted a statewide burn ban Wednesday, and all of Orange County is under a state of emergency. All schools in Greenwood Lake, New York, are closed Thursday and Friday.
Despite making gains, crews are reportedly exhausted. Hundreds of firefighters have worked inside Sterling Forest State Park for days, some working 12-hour shifts.
"They’re probably not getting the rest they need, but hopefully they’re going to hang in there," said Bill Donnelly, N.J. State Firewarden. "It’s definitely taking its toll on them, but I think we’ll make it through."
No homes have been damaged, but Greg McLaughlin, an administrator with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, said rugged hill terrain, coupled with few road access points, were making it difficult to fight the blaze from the ground. Water-dropping helicopters were being used in both states. And firefighters in New York took advantage of changing wind directions Wednesday by starting a controlled line of fires to burn away underbrush and leaves that could serve as fuel.
New York City Brush Fires
The FDNY reported that it has responded to 229 brush fires since October 29. The department said this is the largest number of responses over a two-week period in the city's history.
On Wednesday, a brush fire in Upper Manhattan sent smoke billowing over the New York City skyline.
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: The FDNY is battling a brush fire that erupted in Inwood Hill Park in Manhattan on Wednesday afternoon. (Photo by Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The FDNY described the Inwood Park Brush Fire as "treacherous." No injuries have been reported, and the fire appears to be under control, although the department reports that they expect some hot spots to remain through Thursday morning. Firefighters said they had to stretch hose lines more than 150 feet and use water from the Harlem River.
Brush fires delayed Amtrak train service between New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. The railroad says service has since been restored.
"Due to a significant lack of rainfall, the threat of fast-spreading brush fires fueled by dry vegetation and windy conditions pose a real threat to our members and our city," Fire Commissioner Robert S. Tucker said in a statement.
New York City issued a drought watch last week. Mayor Eric Adams mayor urged residents to take shorter showers, fix dripping faucets and otherwise conserve water.
Just 0.01 inches (0.02 centimeters) of rain fell last month on the city’s Central Park, where October normally brings about 4.4 inches (11.2 centimeters) of precipitation. New York says it was the driest October in over 150 years.
New Jersey Drought Warning
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a drought warning for the state, asking people to take voluntary conservation steps, like shorter showers, turning the faucet off while brushing teeth, and waiting until the dishwasher is full to run it.
"Please take this seriously," Murphy said. "We have a very dry winter ahead of us."
But it stopped short of mandatory water usage restrictions, which would be included in the event of a drought emergency, the highest alert the government can impose.
State geologist Steven Domber told the Associated Press that water levels are declining across New Jersey.
"They are well below long-term averages, and they're trending down," he said. "They will continue to drop over the coming weeks unless we get significant rainfall."
He said about half the public water systems in New Jersey are experiencing close to normal demand for water, but 40% are seeing higher demand than usual.
It could take 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain to meaningfully improve conditions in New Jersey, officials said. But forecasts don't call for that.
Fire arrests
Late Wednesday, police in the Philadelphia suburb of Evesham Township said they had charged a juvenile with deliberately setting an Oct. 30 fire that burned less than a tenth of a square mile. The youth, whose age was not released, was arrested Nov. 7 and taken to a juvenile detention center.
Jonathan Quiles in court
On New York's Long Island, a 20-year-old volunteer firefighter was charged with intentionally setting a brush fire Tuesday that wound up damaging a parked car, the Suffolk County Police Department said in a news release.
Firefighter Jonathan Quiles has been suspended and if he is convicted, he will be terminated from the Medford Fire Department.
The Source: This article uses reporting from the Associated Press, FOX Weather, New Jersey Forest Fire Service and the FDNY along with other state and local authorities throughout New Jersey and New York.