A surge in wildfires is sweeping across the Northeast, fueled by dry conditions and strong winds, The Associated Press reports.
Firefighters battled numerous blazes throughout the region this weekend, with New York, New England, and parts of the mid-Atlantic particularly hard-hit.
In Warwick, New York, a voluntary evacuation of approximately 165 homes was successfully implemented overnight Saturday, preventing significant damage from the Jennings Creek wildfire. New York Parks Department spokesman Jeff Wernick reported that no structures were damaged as of Sunday afternoon, and firefighters continued to make progress containing the blaze, which had burned 7 1/2 square miles (19.4 square kilometers) across parts of New York and New Jersey by Friday. The evacuation remains in place until at least Monday.
The fire is now 90% contained on the New Jersey side and around 88% contained in Orange County, New York, where a state of emergency has been extended. Helicopters from the New York Army National Guard and state police assisted ground crews by dropping water on the fire. Tragically, an 18-year-old New York parks employee died on November 9 after a tree fell on him while fighting the fire. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The increased wildfire activity prompted New York City’s Fire Department to announce the creation of its first-ever brush fire task force. Commissioner Robert S. Tucker cited a historic increase in brush fires, with 271 incidents reported between November 1st and 14th – the highest two-week total in the city’s history. The task force will include fire marshals, inspectors, and tactical drone units.
Elsewhere in the Northeast, Massachusetts reported approximately 200 wildfires this October, far exceeding the typical 15, while Connecticut saw a brush fire briefly close a portion of Interstate 84. A volunteer firefighter in Haddam, Connecticut, suffered injuries fighting a fire sparked by downed power lines but has since been released from the hospital. Southern New Hampshire and southern Maine also reported very high fire danger.
Meanwhile, in California, the Mountain fire in Ventura County, which had destroyed over 245 structures, is now 95% contained.
