Wildfire map: Thousands of acres burn near New Jersey-New York border; 1 firefighter dead
A wildfire fueled by drought near the New Jersey-New York border left an 18-year-old volunteer firefighter dead and has burned through thousands of acres.
The Jennings Creek wildfire in West Milford, New Jersey, has consumed 3,000 acres and is 10% contained, according to a post from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. The fire is burning through Passaic County, New Jersey and Orange County, New York, around 60 miles southeast of Manhattan.
The fire, discovered on Saturday, spread to Orange County that same night, reported NorthJersey.com, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Dariel Vasquez, 18, was a volunteer firefighter for the Wildland Fire Crew when he was killed by a falling tree Saturday night, NorthJersey.com reported. He was battling the fire on the border of New Jersey and New York.
"Our hearts and prayers go out to the 18-year-old volunteer with the Park Service who lost his life battling the fire today," the Town of Warwick, New York, state in a Facebook post.
His death is being investigated by the New York State Police.
USA TODAY has reached out to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service and New York State Department of Environment Conservation regarding the fire.
New Jersey/New York wildfire map
What caused the fire?
The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
Rainfall offers respite
The area received around .25 inches of rain Sunday night through early Monday morning, according to the department. It allowed firefighters to contain a portion of the fire, which was made worse by the drought the area is facing.
The rain comes at a time when the area has seen the driest fall season in recorded history, James Tomasini, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, NWS, New York NY, told USA TODAY.
"We're well well below average in terms of rainfall," Tomasini said.
From Sept. 1 through Nov. 10, the Newark, New Jersey, 42 miles southeast of Passaic County, received a total of .96 inches of rainfall.
Newark normally averages 3.79 inches of rain in October alone, according to Tomasini.
"That's pretty much the lowest amount of rainfall we've seen this far into fall," said the meteorologist.
In October, the city only got a "trace" of rain, which wasn't enough to be measurable, making it the driest October on record, and the driest month the area has experienced in recorded history.
Windy conditions
While the area is experiencing gusts of wind between 10 to 20 mph, the bit of rain the area experienced overnight into Monday and elevated humidity levels have made conditions less favorable for the fire to spread, Tomasini said.
Smoke visible from space
On Saturday, smoke from the fire was visible from space, according to a post on the NWS New York NY X account.
"We are able to see a wildfire along the NJ/NY border from space courtesy of @NOAASatellites," it stated. "Some of this smoke/haze may be visible further south into [New York City]."
There were air quality alerts because of the smoke from the flames over the weekend, according to Tomasini. However, as of 12 p.m. ET on Monday, none are in effect.
Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at [email protected]
