Deadly NJ wildfires consume thousands of acres, leaving region blanketed in smoke
New Jersey firefighters are continuing to battle nine intense wildfires that have left a teenager dead and the region still blanketed in a thick fog of smoke.The massive deadly fire in rural West Milford near the New York border was the largest that still raged Sunday, while smoke-eaters seemed to be getting a handle on suburban blazes in Passaic County’s Pompton Lakes and Englewood Cliffs in Bergen County, reports said.The West Milford blaze — which began near Greenwood Lake — has consumed several thousand acres in New York and New Jersey and is the most widespread of the nearly 10 fires currently torching the bone-dry Garden State, which is suffering under severe drought conditions, according to The Record.
The fire was completely out of control as of Saturday night, with first responders reporting that they hadn’t contained any of it, the outlet said.A teenage employee of the New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Department became the blaze’s first casualty Saturday when a tree fell on him, according to a Facebook post by the Eastern Dutchess County Fire and Rescue.
Dariel Vasquez, who was just 18, was helping fight a fire in Sterling Forest when he died, a statement from the New York State Police said.Orange County Executive Steve Neuhas said Vasquez was clearing out trees and shrubs that could have become fuel for the fire when the tree fell, according to the New York Times.
“My prayers go out to his family, friends and coworkers during this difficult time,” Gov.Kathy Hochul said in a statement Sunday.
“I commend his dedication to serving and protecting his fellow New Yorkers, and his bravery on the front lines.”The flames have left northern New Jersey covered in a throat-clogging, eye-watering haze that stretched from the foothills of the Appalachians to the Hudson River.Although the New York City skies began to clear Sunday — especially when compared with their neighbors across the river — an air-quality alert ...