Gusty winds and low humidity are helping fuel wildfires burning across the Northeast, and cities in the region are on high alert Saturday.

Red flag warnings, indicating increased fire risk due to warm temperatures, very low humidity and stronger winds, were in effect in some northeastern cities through Saturday afternoon.

Several cities in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island will be under a red flag warning between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday, according to the National Meteorological Service.

The vegetation in the area remains very dry. The region is 6 to 8 inches behind in precipitation since September 1. A cold front is expected to pass through the region on Sunday, bringing up to 1 inch of rain.

TO Forest fire in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park burned overnight Friday into Saturday after about 2 acres of dry vegetation ignited during strong gusts of wind, the New York City Fire Department reported. said in X. Firefighters worked through the night to extinguish the fire.

“This has been a historically dry time for New York City and this month alone there have been more than 100 wildfires,” the FDNY said.

In Pennsylvania, firefighters are working to control a fire that broke out in Berks County due to dry and windy conditions. The fire started around 11:30 pm on Friday on Neversink Mountain in Reading, where smoke could be seen billowing from the fire.

The fire prompted the evacuation of residents near Amanda E. Stout Elementary School, according to Reading Mayor Eddie Morán.

“The Forestry Division of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) will lead the fire suppression and cleanup operation, which is expected to continue for several days, coordinating the additional resources necessary,” Morán said.

Two fires are burning in Passaic County, New Jersey: the Cannonball 3 wildfire in Pompton Lakes and the Jennings Creek wildfire in West Milford, the latter of which is also burning in part of Orange County, New York.

He The 175-acre Cannonball 3 wildfire is 75% containedaccording to the New Jersey Wildland Fire Service. Fifty-five structures are threatened by the fire and its causes are being investigated.

The fire is occurring on private property owned by the chemical company DuPont, New Jersey Forest Fire Service Chief Bill Donnelly said at a news conference Saturday.

Authorities were first notified of the fire around 3 p.m. Friday and “over time it started to grow with all the wind,” Mayor Mike Serra said at the news conference.

A DuPont representative did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment Saturday evening.

The Jennings Creek wildfire, which Donnelly said firefighters first spotted on Friday as it moved toward New York, has already burned 2,000 acres and is threatening 10 structures. It is contained at 0%.

Donnelly said winds changed overnight, pushing the fire again over the New Jersey border. Two helicopters and 33 firefighters are working to put out the fire, he said.

The fire is the largest so far this year, Donnelly said, and it is unclear how it started.

Several local agencies confirmed that one person died while fighting the fire.

The Plattekill Fire Department said the person was a state game warden who died while fighting the fire in Greenwood Lake, New York, on Saturday.

A tree fell on the ranger, killing him, the East Dutchess County Fire and Rescue Department said. He didn’t identify him.

“Oops, bro, your shift is over, job well done,” eastern Dutchess County officials said.

The New Jersey Wildland Fire Service responded to more than 400 fires last month and about 40 fire calls on Friday and Saturday, Donnelly said, noting that some are still burning while others have been contained.

Donnelly said around the same time last year, the department responded to 27 fires that burned a total of just eight acres over a two-week period. But in the last month, he said, they have responded to more than 400 fires covering more than 800 acres, as a result of the dry conditions.

Another 39-acre wildfire burns in Bergen County is 75% containedaccording to the state fire service.

One of the biggest issues for New Jersey firefighters is the “reburn factor,” Donnelly said, noting that some fires that started in July are burning once again.

Active wildfires prompted air quality alerts in both New Jersey and New York, and residents were advised against strenuous outdoor activities.

On the west coast, the The mountain fire continues to burn in Ventura County, California, and has spread to more than 20,600 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). The fire was 21% contained so far. 5:29 pm Pacific time. Its cause is under investigation.

Air quality alerts are in effect throughout Southern California due to smoke from wildfires.

CORRECTION (November 9, 2024, 7:46 pm ET) – An earlier version of this article misstated the name of a fire burning in Passaic County, New Jersey, and Orange County, New York. It’s the Jennings Creek wildfire, not the Jennings Creed wildfire.