As Wildfire Burns in New Jersey and New York, Rain Offers Little Relief
The New York Times
The fire, the latest of several in the region over the weekend, had caused one death and was not contained as of Sunday afternoon, officials said.
Firefighters in New Jersey and New York were working on Sunday to contain the latest of several recent wildfires in the region, where the first forecast rainfall in weeks was expected to bring little relief to areas experiencing drought conditions.
The fire has blazed across more than 2,500 acres in Passaic County, N.J., and Orange County, N.Y. — about an hour northwest of New York City. As of Sunday afternoon, it was completely uncontained, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
An 18-year-old employee of the New York State parks system died on Saturday while fighting the fire. The employee, Dariel Vasquez, was helping to clear a wooded area when a tree fell and hit him, officials said.
Hundreds of fires have burned in the region this fall during an unusually warm and dry season. A brush fire in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on Friday night blanketed New York City in a smoky smell over the weekend that permeated the streets and seeped into apartment buildings.
By Sunday morning, the air quality in the New York metropolitan region had improved, as winds blew the smoke from New Jersey’s wildfires more toward upstate New York instead of the city, according to the National Weather Service.
But an air quality advisory was still in effect for the New York City area and the lower and upper Hudson Valley — meaning certain groups, including children and older adults, were advised to spend less time outdoors or avoid strenuous outdoor activities.
