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Firefighters battle Jennings Creek wildfire
Firefighters are racing to contain the Jennings Creek wildfire, which has burned 3,500 acres along the New Jersey-New York border and is only 20% contained. FOX 5 NY's Michelle Ross has the story.
RINGWOOD, N.J. - Check here for the most up-to-date information and live updates on the New Jersey and New York fires.
Thanks to a slight reprieve from the drought, rain has weakened the deadly wildfires burning in New York and New Jersey and improved air quality, but officials say threats remain.
JUMP TO: WILDFIRE MAP l AIR QUALITY TODAY
- NJ wildfire update: When will the fire threat end? Live coverage, forecast
Drought conditions have sparked hundreds of fires throughout the Tri-State area since Oct. 1, and this weekend, New York City residents reported smelling smoke and seeing hazy skies. At least one person, an 18-year-old Ramapo High School student and New York State Parks' employee, was killed.
Here's what you need to know about the status of wildfires and air quality in our area and what to expect this week:
New Jersey wildfire map
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. The image below shows a 24-hour look of wildfires burning in our area.
Courtesy: NASA
Jennings Creek fire: Passaic County, NJ, and Orange County, NY
The Jennings Creek Fire has so far burned 3,500 acres in the West Milford area of New Jersey and adjacent Greenwood Lakes, New York. As of Monday evening, the fire was only 20% contained.
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Deadly wildfires rage in NY and NJ
Wildfires tearing through New York and New Jersey have taken a deadly turn. A New York State parks employee died Saturday while battling a wildfire in Orange County, one of several blazes in the New York metro area to break out recently amid drought conditions. FOX 5 NY's Michelle Ross reports.
The 0.25 inches of rain that fell overnight Monday provided an opportunity for crews to relax, but was far less than what was needed to extinguish the Jennings Creek fire and other brush fires.
Officials at a Monday afternoon news conference said that a northwesterly wind would likely push smoke further into New Jersey.
Several structures in New Jersey and across state lines in Greenwood Lake, New York, are threatened. This includes two homes and eight structures along the Long Pond Ironworks Historic District. East Shore Road closed from Awosting Road to Greenwood Lake Turnpike.
In West Milford, a Veterans Day ceremony was postponed to later in the month because of the firefighting effort, said Rudy Hass, the local Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. commander.
"Many of those personnel currently engaged with the fires are veterans themselves, and right now we need to keep them in our thoughts as they spend many hours, day and night, doing all they can in order protect our great communities in that area," he posted online.
The cause of this fire remains under investigation. Bill Donnelly, chief of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, said the fire started in New York and northerly winds blew the fire into an area of New Jersey that was inaccessible to firefighters. Officials said the wildfire is essentially burning in the wilderness, largely inaccessible for crews. In order to find and fight the fires, crews are navigating a maze of country roads, lakes and steep hills amid dense forests. Trees there have dropped most of their leaves onto parched ground, masking a potential danger.
"Beneath the surface leaf litter that falls off the trees, that stuff is bone dry," Bryan Gallagher, a forest ranger with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, said at a media briefing. "So right now you get a little bit of rain that puts that surface fire out. But if it’s in the duff it’s going to stay there. It’s going to smolder like a cigar until it gets dry enough and then that fire can pop up again."
Meanwhile, New York State Police said they were investigating the death of Dariel Vasquez, an 18-year-old state parks employee who died when a tree fell on him Saturday afternoon as he battled a major brush fire in Sterling Forest, located in New York state's Greenwood Lake near the New Jersey line.
Rockland County community mourns Dariel Vasquez, teen killed fighting wildfire
The Rockland County community gathered Monday to honor the life of 18-year-old Dariel Vasquez, a New York State Parks employee and recent Ramapo High School graduate, who tragically lost his life while fighting a wildfire in Sterling Forest.
"Rip brother your shift is over job well done," a New York State forestry services post said.
According to LoHud.com, Vasquez was a star high school baseball player and captain of Ramapo HIgh School's team. According to a GoFundMe account set up to help his family cover expenses, he had plans to start college in January.
"Dariel’s sudden passing has left a void in our family and community, yet his legacy of love and courage remains an enduring source of inspiration. We remember him as a true hero," the Vasquez family wrote on GoFundMe.
Another volunteer firefighter was hospitalized for smoke inhalation, and his condition is unknown.
Cannonball 3 Wildfire: Passaic County, NJ
New Jersey officials reported 75% containment of a 175-acre fire in the Pompton Lakes area of Passaic County that was threatening 55 homes, although no evacuations had been ordered.
"Forest Fire Service crews will remain on scene for the next several days to continue to improve containment lines and address areas of concern until significant precipitation occurs to ensure public safety. Smoke is expected to remain present until significant rain falls," the New Jersey Forest Fire Service tweeted.
Jackson Township, NJ, fire
In New Jersey, Ocean County prosecutors on Saturday announced arson and firearms charges in connection with a 350-acre Jackson Township fire that started Wednesday. The blaze was largely contained by the end of the week, officials said.
They said that fire was sparked by magnesium shards from a shotgun round on the berm of a shooting range.
Other fires nearby include several acres of brush burning in Englewood Cliffs.
Prospect Park fire in New York City
Dozens of firefighters with the New York City Fire Department responded to a small brush fire in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on Friday.
"This has been a historically dry time for New York City and more than 100 brush fires have occurred this month alone," the FDNY tweeted.
Fire officials did not say what triggered the flames, but the park was open to the public when the fire ignited.
"New Yorkers come together in times of crisis, and right now, amidst the driest spell in recent memory, we need New Yorkers to do just that and conserve as much water as possible," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a recent statement.
NYC air quality today
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.
Since Oct. 1, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said it has responded to 537 wildfires burning a total of 4,500 acres in the state. Likewise, in New York, fire officials said they have responded to 60 wildfires, which burned a total of 2,100 acres.
FOX Weather and the Associated Press contributed to this report.