Jennings Creek Fire: New York issues statewide burn ban as wildfire becomes largest in 16 years

As the Jennings Creek Fire grew into the largest wildland blaze New York fire crews have battled in 16 years, Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a statewide burn ban Tuesday, saying, "conditions we're facing are still pretty dire."

Hochul surveyed the fire straddling the border between Passaic County, New Jersey, and Orange County, New York, which has burned more than 6,000 acres since igniting on Saturday, calling it the worst of 15 wildfires burning in the states.

Hochul said the fire has scorched more than 2,700 acres in New York. Another 3,500 acres have burned in New Jersey, the state Forest Fire Service said earlier Tuesday.

"Right now, New York State is facing the largest wildfire since 2008," Hochul said Tuesday.

In April 2008, the so-called Overlooks Fire near Rochester, New York, burned more than 2,800 acres.

"This was one of the driest Octobers we've had on record," Hochul said. "This is a challenge for us because normally, starting in September, you see a lot more rainfall, the ground is saturated and something like this would not have taken hold."

The National Weather Service issued numerous red flag fire danger warnings throughout New Jersey and New York. At least 15 New York counties were under red flag warnings Tuesday afternoon as well as New York City and all of Long Island.

Hochul said she issued a statewide ban on all outside burning, including grilling.

"The threats are too great and we cannot have our resources directed to smaller fires," Hochul said.

With winds expected Tuesday afternoon to get up to 25 mph with 35 mph gusts, Hochul said that such blustery conditions will "create turmoil, chaos and a lot of uncertainty we don't need right now."

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The blaze broke out Saturday and burned drought-parched wildland stretching from the West Milford in Passaic County, New Jersey, to the Sterling Forest State Park in New York's Orange County, and on both the New York and New Jersey sides of Greenwood Lake, officials said.

Despite the first measurable rain in the area in more than a month of about a half inch, the fire grew from about 2,500 acres on Sunday to over 5,000 acres on Monday, New York and New Jersey fire officials said.

Firefighters managed overnight to keep the blaze to minimal growth, officials said.

At least 25 structures in New Jersey remain threatened by the conflagration, including eight historic structures in New Jersey's Long Pond Ironworks State Park, a historic 175-acre village where iron was produced during the Revolutionary War, officials said.

Hochul said no structures were being threatened Tuesday on the New York side of the fire.

A New York State Parks and Recreation aid was killed on Saturday helping the battle the Jennings Creek Fire, officials said. The deceased parks employee was identified Sunday by the New York State Police as 18-year-old Dariel Vasquez.

The New York and New Jersey forest services have teamed up to fight the fire on both sides of the state line.

Hochul said numerous residents living near the fire have complied with voluntary evacuations.

Among the other fires being fought Tuesday in New York, was the White House Fire in Ulster County's Catskill Mountains. The fire burned between 600 and 700 acres and was 95% contained on Tuesday, Ulster County officials said.

Chief Bill Donnelly of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said at a news conference Sunday that it could take crews until the end of this week to extinguish the blaze.

The fire came amid blustery winds and drought conditions in New York and New Jersey, which before Sunday hadn't seen any rain in more than a month, officials said.

Since Oct. 1, New Jersey firefighters have responded to 537 wildfires that have consumed 4,500 acres, including about 40 fires that ignited between Friday and Saturday, according to Donnelly. Forest Ranger Jeremy Oldroyd, of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, said New York fire crews have battled 60 wildfires since Oct. 1, and they have burned 2,100 acres.

At one point over the weekend, New Jersey firefighters were simultaneously battling at least six significant brush fires that ignited across the state, including a second large wildfire in Passaic County.

The "Cannonball 3" fire began on Friday afternoon near Passaic County's Pompton Lake and grew to 181 acres. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service announced Sunday afternoon that firefighters had achieved 100% containment on the fire.

Another wildfire in New Jersey -- the Shotgun Fire -- started Wednesday and burned 350 acres of the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area in Jackson Township before firefighters gained control of the blaze, officials said. Officials said the cause of the fire was arson.

Investigators concluded the fire began behind a berm at the Central Jersey Rifle & Pistol Club in Jackson, New Jersey, and was caused by magnesium shards of a "Dragon's Breath" 12-gauge shotgun round, which ignited materials on the berm. Firing incendiary or tracer ammunition is illegal in New Jersey, authorities said.

Richard Shashaty, 37, of Brick Township, surrendered to the police on Saturday. He was charged with arson and violation of regulatory provisions relating to firearms, officials said Saturday.