West Milford wildfire scorches hundreds of acres, largest in northern New Jersey since 2010

WEST MILFORD, N.J. -- Firefighters are making progress against a fire that has been burning in Passaic County for days. 

Saturday, officials said the Kanouse fire in West Milford is 100 percent contained.

The fire burned 972 acres, and five buildings in the area were evacuated as a precaution.

Echo Lake Road remained closed Saturday between Route 23 and Macopin Road due to weakened and dead trees along the road. Forest Fire Service crews will remain on scene to monitor the area and improve containment lines.

The cause of the wildfire remains under investigation.

Thursday night, firefighters converged in the woods in West Milford, right behind Michael Ryan's home near Sherwood Court, where the fire continued to smolder. 

"What they're doing now is going through the woods here, and just putting out some of the remaining fires. They did a controlled burn the other day, so they're going through it, and it seems they have it under control now, which is great," West Milford resident Michael Ryan said. 

Overnight Thursday, flames peeked through the trees in the night sky.

"We're actively monitoring, and trying to stay strong here. Should we need to leave, we're ready to go," resident Andrew Mancini said. "Obviously if we need to pack up and go - it's all sentimental items. things that can't be replaced. Family photos, heirlooms."

Firefighters worked around the clock in 24-hour shifts to attack the fire from every angle. 

"Really glad to see what they're doing. They're just doing such a great job protecting the community," Ryan said. 

Firefighters were using helicopters to drop water on the forest. 

"We have great confidence in our control lines. We will continue to mop up, patrol, cut down any dead trees," said Greg McLaughlin of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. 

Watch Christine Sloan's Friday 5 p.m. report  

Officials said they faced a serious situation overnight Thursday, including embers flying and starting new fires. They said warm temperatures, dry vegetation and dying trees infested with bugs fueled the blaze. 

"With the dying of the ash trees, that opportunity for the fire to climb up into those dead trees is what we started to see yesterday, and the wind picking up and carrying those embers and spotting it ahead of us is what's caused some of the problem," said NJ DEP Assistant Commissioner John Cecil. 

One family was under mandatory evacuation, others voluntary. All evacuations had been lifted by Friday night, and no structures were threatened.

Billowing smoke caused haze for miles. 

"The smell was pretty bad. My eyes were burning as I was driving up here. I was actually coughing and I had the windows closed in my car," said Jennifer Petruccelli, who owns a shop in West Milford. 

"The terrain is rocky, steep. There's risk from fallen trees, rolling logs, burning debris. So what we're trying to do is establish control lines," said Greg McLaughlin of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. 

All this came while the region saw record high temperatures. 

"It's very fatiguing. You start seeing that fatigue set in when you are going day after day and through the night," McLaughlin said. 

It's the largest wildfire in the region since 2010, but fortunately no injuries have been reported. 

"I've lived here for 40 years and this is the first fire I've seen back there," said Richard Keller.   

In:
• Ocean County
• Passaic County