A New York State forest ranger died Saturday while battling one of the many fires burning through several thousands acres across our area.
Dariel Vasquez was stationed in Greenwood Lake in Orange County, where a forest fire originating in New Jersey’s Passaic County had spread into nearby New York. Multiple agencies confirmed the 18-year Parks and Recreation Aid veteran died after a tree fell on him.
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of one of our New York State Parks employees while responding to a wildfire in Orange County yesterday,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. “I commend his dedication to serving and protecting his fellow New Yorkers, and his bravery on the front lines.
The Jennings Creek Wildfire, with originated in West Milford, Passaic County, has spread to at least 2,000 acres and was zero-percent contained as of Saturday night. A number of local roads were closed and around 10 structures were threatened. An update on the fire is expected late Sunday morning.
“This fire has been going on the Jersey side is now spread over to the New York side. But we also have some other pop-up fires that we’ve been dealing with. We’re going to continue to work with our first responders to make sure that you are protected. If, God forbid, you were in a situation where we have to evacuate you, we will let you know,” Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus said Saturday.
The Jennings Creek Wildfire is one of at least six major wildfires burning across the Garden State. The fires have taken advantage of an unusually dry fall, where many parts of the tri-state have recorded or gotten close to breaking record dry stretches.
Some relief is on the way Sunday evening when the first measurable rain in weeks is expected to sweep through the area. The rainfall is not expected to be significant, but even a quarter of an inch of rain would help matters.
The red flag warnings previously in place for large stretches of New Jersey and New York have expired, although much of the area is still at an elevated fire danger. Connecticut, however, remains under a red flag warning.
Where are fires currently burning?
As of Sunday morning, these are some of the areas with active wildfires:
- Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey (Bergen County)
- Pompton Lakes, New Jersey (Passaic County)
- West Milford, New Jersey (Passaic County) and Greenwood Lake, New York (Orange County)
- Jackson Township, New Jersey (Ocean County)
- Riverhead, New York (Suffolk County)
- Evesham and Voorhees townships, New Jersey (Burlington and Camden Counties)
- Glassboro, New Jersey (Gloucester County)
Air quality falls in New York City area
The smoke in the air is being trapped in the atmosphere and is not going anywhere, according to Storm Team 4’s Raphael Miranda. The trapped smoke is leading to lower air quality levels.
Air quality ranged from “moderate” to “very unhealthy” levels throughout the day on Saturday. An air quality alert remains in effect for the New York City area, including parts of the Hudson Valley, through all of Sunday.
People should use caution when outside if they smell smoke and limit outdoor exercise, like running, until air quality improves.
