POMPTON LAKES, N.J. – Crews continued to battle several wildfires in northern New Jersey on Saturday.

Fires have broken out across the state this week. The drought affecting the Tri-State Area continues.

“The New Jersey Wildland Fire Service overall has responded to over 400 fires in the past month and approximately 40 fires between yesterday and today,” New Jersey Wildland Fire Service Chief Bill Donnelly said Saturday.

Firefighters say a significant amount of rain is needed to give firefighters a break.

“It’s up to Mother Nature. When she brings the rain, we’ll take a break, but until we see it, I don’t see any break in sight,” Donnelly said. “We’re not talking, you know, about rain or anything. We’re talking about inches of rain, you know, a nice, slow, steady rain that can soak into the ground. Because right now, the ground is so hard that if you shower strong or something, it will just come off the ground.

A An air quality alert has been issued for northern New Jersey.along with New York City and the Hudson Valley, until 12 a.m. Monday due to smoke.

One dead in a fire that spreads through New Jersey and New York

The most recently reported fire is the Jennings Creek wildfire near Greenwood Lake Turnpike and East Shore Road in West Milford. New Jersey Wildland Fire Service I first reported it around 2:15 pm on Saturday..

“That’s a fire that started yesterday. Our fire tower noticed it and it was detected in New York. Well, yesterday afternoon, the fire was moving towards New York. The winds changed overnight and started pushing it back to New York Jersey,” Donnelly said. .

The fire service said has spread over 2,000 acresincluding part of New York’s Orange County, and is not contained at all. Donnelly says it’s the largest wildfire in the state so far this year.

A total of 10 structures are threatened by the fire, including two homes, but no evacuations have occurred so far, according to the fire service.

East Shore Road and Beach Road are closed, as are all trails at Long Pond Ironworks State Park and Tranquility Ridge.

In a video, Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus He said someone who responded to the fire died Saturday afternoon. A tree reportedly fell and landed on the lifeguard. Eastern Dutchess County Fire and Rescue say he was airlifted to a local hospital but did not survive. More details have not yet been released.

Pompton Lakes Fire

The Cannonball 3 wildfire near Cannonball Road in Pompton Lakes was first reported early Saturday morning.

The New Jersey Wildland Fire Service reported shortly before 3:30 p.m. that the fire had spread across 164 acres and was 50% contained. The service says the flames threaten 55 structures, but none have been evacuated at this time.

“Actually, everything seems to be in good condition,” Donnelly said of the Pompton Lakes fire.

Englewood Cliffs Fire

A wildfire along the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Englewood Cliffs, which began during the night from Thursday to FridayIt is now 75% contained after spreading over 39 acres, the fire service said on Saturday night.

No structures are threatened at this time and the fire service said there will be no further updates on this fire unless there is significant development.

Firefighters have not determined the cause of any of these three fires at this time.

Wildfires in New Jersey

He continued dry and windy conditions have helped fuel a series of wildfires in New Jersey in recent days, including a fire in Jackson Township that started Wednesday.

Firefighters say the wildfire eventually spread to more than 350 acres, but crews They were able to achieve 90% containment by Friday night.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office announced Saturday that the cause of the fire was determined to be magnesium fragments from a shotgun shell that ignited combustibles at the edge of a shooting range. A Brick Township man has been arrested and charged with arson and violation of firearms regulations in connection with the Jackson Township wildfire.

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