2 weeks Ago By Katie Houlis
POMPTON LAKES, N.J. — Crews continued to battle several wildfires in northern New Jersey on Saturday.
Fires have been breaking out across the state this week as the drought affecting the Tri-State Area stretches on . "New Jersey Forest Fire Service in general has responded to over 400 fires last month and roughly 40-some fires between yesterday and today," New Jersey Forest Fire Service Chief Bill Donnelly said Saturday. The chief said it's likely fires will continue popping up until the region gets some rain.
"It's up to Mother Nature. When she brings the rain, we'll take a break, but until we see that, I don't see any break in sight," he said. An air quality alert has been issued for northern New Jersey , along with New York City and the Hudson Valley, through 12 a.
m. Monday due to the smoke. The most recently reported blaze is the Jennings Creek wildfire near Greenwood Lake Turnpike and East Shore Road in West Milford.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service first reported it around 2:15 p.m. Saturday .
"That's a fire that started yesterday. Our fire tower noticed it, and it was spotted in New York. Well, yesterday afternoon, the fire was pushing into New York.
Winds changed overnight and started pushing it back into New Jersey," Donnelly said. The fire service said it has spread across 1,800 acres, including part of New York's Orange County, and is not contained at all. Donnelly says it's the biggest wildfire in the state so far this year.
A total of 10 structures are being threatened by the fire, including two homes, but there have not been any evacuations at this time, the fire service said. East Shore Road and Beach Road are both closed, along with all trails in Long Pond Ironworks State Park and Tranquility Ridge. The Cannonball 3 wildfire near Cannonball Road in Pompton Lakes was first reported early Saturday morning .
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported just before 3:30 p.m. that the fire had spread across 164 acres and was 50% contained.
The service says the flames are threatening 55 structures, but none have been evacuated at this time. "Everything seems to realistically be in good shape," Donnelly said of the Pompton Lakes fire. A wildfire burning along the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Englewood Cliffs, which started overnight Thursday into Friday , is now 40% contained and has spread over 39 acres, the fire service said Saturday morning .
No structures are threatened at this time, but Henry Hudson Drive remains closed, according to the fire service. Fire officials have not determined the cause of any of these three fires at this time. The ongoing dry, windy conditions have helped fuel a number of wildfires across New Jersey in recent days, including a fire in Jackson Township that started Wednesday.
Fire officials say that wildfire ultimately spread over 350 acres, but crews were able to achieve 90% containment by Friday evening . The Ocean County prosecutor's office announced Saturday that the cause of the fire was determined to be magnesium shards from a shotgun round igniting combustibles on the berm of a shooting range. A Brick Township man has been arrested and charged with arson and violation of the regulatory provisions relating to firearms in connection to the Jackson Township wildfire.
Katie Houlis is a digital producer with the CBS New York web team..
