Firefighters struggle to contain massive N.J.-N.Y. wildfire as windy conditions return

While nearly a quarter-inch of rain fell overnight in the area of a massive wildfire on the New Jersey-New York border, the blaze that had grown to 3,000 acres on Sunday evening continued to burn Monday, officials said.
“The entire state of New Jersey remains extremely dry and the rain that fell yesterday won’t have a meaningful impact in adding moisture back into the soil and forest fuels,” a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection said.
Rain tapered off in the West Milford area around 6:30 a.m. Monday and the rest of the day is expected to be dry, forecasters say. The state Forest Fire Service is expected to provide the next update on the Jennings Creek Wildfire at about 10:30 a.m.
Forecasters say winds are expected to pick up Monday and areas that were moistened due to the rain will dry out this afternoon into Monday night.
Winds will be stronger on Tuesday with low relative humidity, according to the National Weather Service’s New York office, which covers New Jersey’s five northeastern counties.
Those conditions will make for “potentially another concerning day regarding fire weather and the increased possibility of brush fire spread,” the weather service’s New York office said in its Monday morning forecast discussion.
Highs on Monday in northern New Jersey will be in the 60s as clouds gradually decrease and the sun again appears.
No additional rain is in the forecast this week. Temperatures are expected to climb into the 50s each afternoon before dropping into the 30s overnight starting Tuesday. The good news is winds will be light from Wednesday through the rest of the week or longer, the weather service said.
Meanwhile, fire officials in West Milford assured residents Monday morning that trees on fire are part of a controlled burn area on East Shore Road.
“This is aftermath of the back burning process which occurred yesterday and is normal and at this time is not a hazard,” the fire department said. “Fire patrols have been monitoring the area throughout the night addressing any hazards found. Please only call dispatch if there is an IMMEDIATE hazard to residential property or is a life safety concern.”
Smaller wildfires were still burning in other parts of the state Sunday night.
Two homes and eight buildings in the Long Pond Ironworks Historic District in West Milford were threatened by the fire, officials said Sunday evening. An additional 14 buildings in New York were in danger. There were currently no evacuations in place.
The cause of the New Jersey-New York wildfire remained under investigation.
An 18-year-old firefighter died battling the blaze in Sterling Forest. Dariel Vasquez, a parks employee in New York, was killed Saturday in the New York section of the park, New York State Police said. His death remained under investigation.