Much-needed rain helps wildfire suppression efforts, air quality across Northeast
New York State Police said an 18-year-old New York State Parks employee was killed while battling a forest fire burning near the New York-New Jersey state line.
Rain in Northeast helps firefighters in fight against wildfires
Areas of the Northeast received some much-needed rain on Sunday and Monday that helped with wildfire suppression efforts in places like New York and New Jersey.
NEW YORK — Crews are continuing to contain and extinguish several wildfires that ignited in the Northeast due to record-dry conditions, but some welcome rain should help with fire suppression efforts.
"Most importantly, it hasn’t been something that happened over an hour," FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said. It’s been a light, continuous rain since (Sunday) evening that lasted through the overnight through (Monday) morning."
Watch: Timelapse video shows smoke from New Jersey's Jennings Creek Fire billowing into the sky
A timelapse video recorded in Mount Olive, New Jersey, shows smoke from the Jennings Creek Fire drifting across the sky on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024.
While the rain totals weren’t that impressive, any little bit helps.
"So, although the numbers are not tremendous, that’s the type of rain that actually does help moisten up the soil," Merwin continued. "And it will help us here."
The flames from the fires that are burning in New York and New Jersey haven’t been the only danger, however.
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Wildfires in New Jersey are leading to smoky skies and diminished air quality around the tri-state area of the East Coast in the United States.
(Selcuk Acar/Anadolu / Getty Images)
Thick smoke billowing into the sky led to unhealthy air quality conditions over the weekend, and residents across the New York City area reported smelling smoke and seeing hazy skies as the smoke lingered.
Air Quality Alerts were issued, and health officials warned people across the area to limit time outdoors and wear a high-quality mask if that wasn’t possible.
The wildfire smoke even reached the Albany area on Sunday after a change in wind direction allowed for it to drift off to the north into eastern areas of upstate New York.
Jennings Creek Fire continues to rage
Smoke and flames rise as wildfire burns and spreads on a mountain in West Milford, New Jersey, United States on November 9, 2024.
(Kyle Mazza/Anadolu / Getty Images)
According to the FOX Forecast Center, a large wildfire burning near the New York-New Jersey state line over the weekend caused some smoke in the New York City area.
The Jennings Creek Fire has so far burned 3,000 acres in the West Milford, New Jersey, area, and is only 10% contained.
In addition, more than two dozen structures are being threatened by the flames and crews are continuing to work to protect them.
"In the overnight hours of Sunday, Nov. 11, into Monday, Nov. 12, approximately 0.25 inches of rain fell across the fire," the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said on X. "This provided an opportunity to rest several of the crews who have been working non-stop to contain this fire."
Fire officials say that no evacuations in either state have been issued.
Watch: Wildfire smoke hangs above New Jersey
A video recorded in New Jersey near Greenwood Lake showing helicopters responding to a wildfire while smoke billows into the sky on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024.
Bill Donnelly, chief of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, said the fire started in New York and northerly winds blew the fire into an area of New Jersey that was inaccessible to firefighters.
And at least one death has been reported as a result of the fire.
"Dariel Vasquez, an 18-year-old Parks and Recreation Aid employed by the New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Department, was killed while battling a forest fire in Sterling Forest, located in Greenwood Lake, New York," New York State Police said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she was "deeply saddened" by the death.
"My prayers go out to his family, friends and coworkers during this difficult time," she said in a statement. "I commend his dedication to serving and protecting his fellow New Yorkers, and his bravery on the front lines."
A brush fire burns in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on Nov. 8, 2024.
(Englewood Cliffs Fire Dept. / FOX Weather)
Other fires nearby include several acres of brush burning in northern New Jersey’s Englewood Cliffs.
Firefighters worked at least a dozen blazes in the New York City tri-state area on Friday, also sending occasional smoke plumes into New York City's boroughs.
Since Oct. 1, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said it has responded to 537 wildfires burning a total of 4,500 acres in the state. Likewise, in New York, fire officials said they have responded to 60 wildfires, which burned a total of 2,100 acres.
One of those fires brought dozens of firefighters from the New York City Fire Department to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.
"New Yorkers come together in times of crisis, and right now, amidst the driest spell in recent memory, we need New Yorkers to do just that and conserve as much water as possible," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a recent statement.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story identified the person killed while battling a wildfire along the border of New York and New Jersey as a first responder. Further details have been added to confirm the victim was a New York State Parks employee.