Jennings Creek wildfire is 88% contained, New York DEC says
NEW JERSEY -- The Jennings Creek wildfire is now 88% contained since it started burning last week, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said Friday.
That includes the fire on both the New Jersey and New York sides, where road closures remain in place Saturday.
Over 2,200 acres had burned in New Jersey as of 10 a.m. Friday, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. No structures are currently being threatened.
New York and New Jersey firefighters have been making progress all week against the fire raging near the border of Passaic and Orange counties.
Nearly 300 firefighters from multiple state agencies are battling the fire, including some from as far away as Montana and Colorado.
Smoke likely to remain in Tri-State Area
Smoke from the wildfire will likely remain in the surrounding areas until "significant rain falls," officials said, but there doesn't appear to be any in the First Alert Forecast.
"There's just no rain in the works. Next seven days, looking at all the data coming in, maybe half an inch, and that's next Thursday, Friday," CBS News New York's John Elliott said. "There's just nothing breaking through."
Jersey Central Power & Light said it is disabling some equipment to reduce the risk of contributing to the fire, but that is not expected to cause power disruptions for customers.
Thursday, authorities protectively cut electricity to a large section of Greenwood Lake, New York amid the firefighting operations. Most residents temporarily relocated.
