Rainfall did little to slow a wildfire burning along the New York-New Jersey border on Monday, officials said, as strong winds fueled the flames’ spread.
The Jennings Creek Fire, about 30 miles northwest of New York City, has now scorched roughly 5,000 acres (2,023 hectares) and is 20% contained, New York State Parks officials said at a press conference.
Containment efforts are evenly divided between New York and New Jersey, officials added, noting that overnight rainfall provided a much-needed break for firefighting crews.
Meanwhile, in California, gusty winds threatened to intensify a major wildfire, adding to the challenges for firefighters.
Wildfires are relatively common in California, but the East Coast blazes are unusual.
The Jennings Creek Fire has already claimed one life, that of 18-year-old Dariel Vasquez, an employee of the New York State Parks Department, according to local police. Vasquez died while battling the fire in Sterling Forest near Greenwood Lake, police said in a statement.
In California, firefighters have made slow progress against the 20,630-acre (8,350-hectare) Mountain Fire, which is burning about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles.
The fire, which started last Wednesday, was 36% contained after destroying more than 160 structures, Cal Fire reported.
The area remains on high alert as winds are expected to strengthen Monday and into Tuesday, with gusts reaching 45 mph (72 kph), according to the National Weather Service forecast.
No impact on drought
As much as a half-inch of rain was recorded in several East Coast cities overnight, the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, reported. Some cities, like Trenton, New Jersey, had not seen rain in 42 days, the service said.
"This will NOT have any meaningful impact on the drought, but should briefly quell the extreme fire danger," the service said, as overnight rain gave way to clear skies Monday morning.
Northern New Jersey’s fire danger was downgraded to "very high" Monday morning, from "extreme" before the rain. The southern third of the state remained "extreme," while Central New Jersey’s danger was rated "moderate," the state’s forest service reported on its website.
Overall, New Jersey’s Forest Fire Service reported about 10 separate wildfires in different parts of the state over the past week, including one in Englewood Cliffs, across the Hudson River from New York City, where haze and smoke were visible over the weekend.
Other New Jersey fires were much smaller than the Jennings Creek Fire and were largely contained by Monday, according to the local forest fire service.
On Friday night, a two-acre fire broke out in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, damaging the Ravine in Prospect Park, the last remaining forested area in the park, according to the Prospect Park Alliance. The fire was extinguished by Saturday.
A 37-year-old New Jersey man has been charged with arson and violating firearms laws after he fired a shotgun round that ignited combustibles and started a wildfire in Ocean County, the local prosecutor said over the weekend.