Deadly wildfire in New York and New Jersey about 20% contained, authorities say
HEWITT, N.J. -- The deadly Jennings Creek wildfire continues to burn near the New York border.
Authorities said Monday afternoon the 5,000-acre fire is 20% contained, with 10% containment in both New York and New Jersey. Authorities said they've deployed a spectrum of resources to battle the blaze, including 33 five-person hand crews, five engines, four water tankers, six helicopters and 230 people in the field.
One New Jersey volunteer firefighter was treated at the hospital for smoke inhalation.
New York state forest ranger volunteer Dariel Vasquez, 18, was killed by a falling tree while battling the fire Saturday. He was a recent graduate of Ramapo High School in the East Ramapo Central School District. He played baseball there and was Rockland County's athlete of the season in 2024.
"My prayers go out to his family, friends and co-workers during this difficult time. I commend his dedication to serving and protecting his fellow New Yorkers, and his bravery on the front lines," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement.
- Read more: Dariel Vasquez, killed fighting the Jennings Creek wildfire, remembered by Rockland County community
Light rain helps, but not a lot
A quarter of an inch of rain fell on the fire early Monday morning, which helped crews get some much needed rest.
Twelve homeowners on Cliff Road evacuated their residents voluntarily. Fortunately, there has been no structural damage to those homes, authorities said. Those homes, however, were temporarily without power.
Greenwood Lake School District's middle school will be on a two-hour delay Tuesday, officials said.
"Let's make no mistake, this is one of the worst natural disasters the town of Warwick has seen in many, many years," Warwick Town Supervisor Jesse Dwyer said. "If things turn south, the threat to life and the threat to property could really take a turn for the worse."
Dwyer praised first responders, local residents and the state of New York for their cooperation and help fighting the fire.
"Everybody's been working and collaborating almost seemlessly," Dwyer said.
"This is pretty rare that we have a drought going this far into the fall. Probably haven't seen a drought like this, like the mayor said, haven't seen anything like this in 50 years. We'll put this into perspective. Last season, from Oct. 1 to the current day, New York State Forest Rangers responded to nine fires for 18 acres. This year we responded to 61 fires for almost 3,400 acres. A sixfold number of fires, a vast increase -- a geometrical increase -- in the number of acreage, and mostly because of this large fire," Forest Ranger Bryan Gallagher said.
The first five inches of ground are bone dry due to the lack of rain, increasing the chance that the fire will smolder and reignite, Gallagher said.
"It's extremely limited, and in a wilderness setting, for us to get up there. So it's making access to fight the fire hard. Hard to get equipment in there, because some areas are too steep for bulldozers to go to. So it is somebody on the ground digging fire lines, choking on smoke and dust, trying to suppress this fire with manual labor," New Jersey Fire Service Commander Christopher Franek said. "Miles of hose coming in, being brought in by people hiking with 80-90 pounds of gear on their back.
Local residents say they're still bracing for the worst
Olympia Lambert of Greenwood Lake shared video from right outside her back door Monday night.
"It's a miracle our property did survive. The fire line they created helped stop it, but also the rain that came miraculously last night helped stop it," Lambert said.
New Jersey's resources are stretched as firefighters have been battling several fires across the state.
The cause of the Jennings Creek fire remains under investigation. Officials say under the current conditions, anything can spark a fire -- from a cigarette to a malfunctioning lawnmower.
Don Glass of Passaic County watched as fire burned on the side of a mountain.
"You wonder what started it? Was it a careless cigarette? Was it a careless person because it certainly wasn't lightning," Glass said.
There's a ban on charcoal barbecues and fire pits, and officials are urging residents in the affected areas to follow burn bans.
Record-setting fire season
This fire season has set records in New York and New Jersey. Drought conditions have fueled the flames.
Despite the rain, the wildfire is still burning. The winds are of concern, and could contribute to additional spreading. It also continues to impact air quality, as smoke billows throughout the affected areas in Rockland and Passaic counties.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service said the Garden State and New York's Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Forest Protection and Management are in unified command to battle the fire.
"We are hoping that the fire doesn't jump the road, 'cause then it will be on our property," West Milford resident Maryann Mullane said. "They are backburning, trying to control the fire, from my understanding, so it does not jump the toad. So they are proactively creating burns to try to keep the fire from passing the line. So we're hoping that works."
Some residents in the threatened areas are taking precautions before voluntarily evacuating. There are road closures in the area.
"When I got there, I cleared the leaves off of my lawn, and last night I wet the lawn when it got dark so that it would be a little more moist," resident Mark Koch said. "For the most part, the ashes that were landing were dry. There were no embers that were glowing red or anything to set anything on fire, so that was good. But there were ashes that were landing."
