West Milford, NJ — Windy conditions have reignited wildfires that have escaped containment lines and prompted emergency officials Saturday to enact voluntary evacuation plans for a small number of homes in communities near the New York-New Jersey border.
New York Parks Department spokesman Jeff Warnick said in an email Saturday night that the voluntary evacuations, implemented out of an “out of abundance of caution” as firefighters continue to work to contain the Jennings Creek Fire, affected about 165 homes in Warwick, New York. .
On Friday, wildfires were 90% contained along the border in Passaic County, New Jersey, and about 70% contained in Orange County, New York, officials said.
Wildfires had burned 7 1/2 square miles (19.4 square kilometers) across both states as of Friday, but New York officials said numbers were likely to rise with stronger winds expected over the weekend.
On Saturday, Wernick said a New York Army National Guard helicopter dropped 21,000 gallons (79,493 liters) of water and a New York State Police helicopter dropped nearly 900 gallons (3,406 liters). He said he dropped it.
The fire occurred primarily in Sterling Forest State Park, where the visitor center, lakefront area of ​​Greenwood Lake and the historic furnace area remained open, but forestry activities, including hunting, were halted, Wernick said. Residences around the lake were not affected.
The National Weather Service forecast for Warwick did not expect any rain until Wednesday night. Fire officials previously said they would remain at the scene until significant rain arrived.
The fire claimed the life of an 18-year-old New York parks employee, who died after falling from a tree while helping put out a fire in Sterling Forest on November 9.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
