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The Jennings Creek Wildfire, the largest wildfire of the season in New Jersey, continues to grow, having already claimed the life of a firefighter and spread across nearly 3,000 acres. The fire, which straddles the border of Northern New Jersey and Orange County in New York, is currently only 10% contained due to its inaccessibility.
One firefighter, 18-year-old Dariel Vasquez, a parks employee from New York, tragically lost his life on Saturday when a tree fell on him while he was battling the fire in the New York section of the park. According to NPR, Vasquez was an aide for the New York State Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Department.
The fire is threatening two homes and eight buildings in the Long Pond Ironworks Historic District. Another 14 buildings in New York are also at risk, although no evacuations have been ordered yet.
Health advisories have been issued for parts of New York and northeastern New Jersey due to unhealthy air quality caused by smoke from the fires. People, especially the very young, the elderly, and those with conditions such as asthma and heart disease, are being urged to limit strenuous outdoor physical activity.
Meanwhile, the Pompton Lakes wildfire, which broke out on Friday night at the site of the former DuPont-Chemours facility, is now fully contained. The fire affected Interstate 287 at one point but was fully open by Sunday morning. The blaze burned at least 180 acres and threatened 55 structures, but no evacuations were ordered.