WEST MILFORD, NJ — Windy conditions renewed wildfire that escaped a containment line, prompting emergency responders to implement a voluntary evacuation plan Saturday for a small number of homes in a community near the New York-New Jersey border.
The voluntary evacuation conducted out of “an abundance of caution” affected about 165 homes in Warwick, New York, as firefighters continued to work to tame the Jennings Creek fire, New York Parks Department spokesman Jeff Wernick said in an email Saturday evening. -mail.
On Friday the forest fire was at 90% contained on the Passaic County, New Jersey, side of the border, and about 70% in Orange County, New York, officials said.
The wildfire had burned 7 1/2 square miles (19.4 square kilometers). about the two states starting Friday, although New York officials said that number would likely increase as stronger winds were forecast for the weekend.
On Saturday, Wernick said New York Army National Guard helicopters dropped 21,000 gallons (79,493 liters) of water and a New York State Police helicopter dropped nearly 900 gallons (3,406 liters).
The fire burned primarily in Sterling Forest State Park, where the visitor center, the lakefront area at Greenwood Lake and the historic kiln area remained open, but forest activities, including hunting, were halted, Wernick said, noting that the homes around the lake have not been affected.
A National Weather Service forecast for Warwick didn’t predict rain until Wednesday evening. Firefighters previously said they will remain at the scene until heavy rainfall occurs.
The fire claimed his life of an 18-year-old New York parks employee who died when a tree fell on him as he helped fight the Sterling Forest fire on November 9.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.