New Jersey Forest Fire Service members spray down the scorched earth on East Shore Road while monitoring the West Milford Jennings Creek wildfire in West Milford on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024.
© Julian Leshay Guadalupe / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
(Trenton, NJ) – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is holding a virtual hearing today as crews in both the Garden State and New York continue to fight wildfires. Fire officials and the New Jersey State Police are expected to participate in that event. Also, as extremely dry conditions persist, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has enacted a burn ban that will be in effect through the end of the month.
New Jersey has been under drought watch and will now enter a drought warning stage. The public is being asked to help conserve water in a variety of ways.
One of the area’s largest fires is burning in Sterling Forest, along the New York-New Jersey border in Orange and Passaic Counties. A firefighter was killed recently battling that fire, 18-year-old Dariel Vasquez, when a tree fell on top of him. Helicopters have been dumping water on that blaze in an attempt to get it contained. It’s already scorched 3,500 acres, although recent rain reportedly helped firefighters make some progress on Tuesday.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams praised the FDNY for their efforts in battling recent wildfires during his weekly press availability on Tuesday. He noted New Yorkers should be making efforts to stop fires in their area, as things like barbeques should be avoided.
