Jennings Creek Wildfire burns thousands of acres along NY, NJ border
PASSAIC COUNTY, New Jersey (WABC) -- The Jennings Creek Wildfire continued to grow along the New York-New Jersey border on Tuesday.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Governor Kathy Hochul said the fire had burned 2,700 acres in New York and 5,000 acres overall.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service estimates that the fire had burned roughly 2,283 acres in New Jersey, and is now 30% contained across both states.
Hochul said the brush fire is one of 11 burning across the state and conditions remain dire.
She issued a statewide burn ban until November 30.
"It is critical to avoid any outdoor burning at this time. Remember to report any fires immediately to authorities, stay alert, and monitor your local forecast and law enforcement alerts." she said.
The ban prohibits the starting of outdoor fires statewide for purposes of brush and debris disposal, as well as uncontained campfires, recreational fires and open fires used for cooking. Backyard fire pits and contained campfires less than three feet in height and four feet in length, width, or diameter are allowed, as are small, contained cooking fires.
New Jersey issued a burn ban in October.
The Jennings Creek fire started burning in Orange County, New York, and Passaic County, New Jersey over the weekend.
The fire claimed the life of an 18-year-old volunteer firefighter, Dariel Vasquez.
Fire crews met significant challenges on Tuesday due to wind gusts forecast up to 35 mph.
In New Jersey where nearly 2,300 acres had burned, flames threatened two residential structures and eight other structures in the Long Pond Ironworks Historic District, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
No structures were currently threatened on the New York side, Hochul said Tuesday afternoon. There have been no mandatory evacuations, however, as a precaution, 12 homes in the Town of Warwick, Orange County voluntarily evacuated.
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."
Despite the challenges, officials reported signs of progress Tuesday evening, saying crews successfully maintained the fire line thanks to 178 helicopter water drops on East Shore, which helped significantly in containing the fire.
A firefighting helicopter capable of dropping 350 gallons (1,325 liters) at a time was being used to help combat fire. The National Guard also deployed two Black Hawk helicopters for water drops, Gov. Hochul said.
And more backup is on the way, with Chinook helicopters scheduled to arrive Wednesday, capable of dropping even larger amounts of water.
Another potential factor that could help crews: favorable weather conditions are expected for the next few days, according to officials.
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