On Friday, November 8, a forest fire broke out on the Palisades in Englewood Cliffs. New Jersey’s Forest Fire Service contained the fire using helicopters to drop 350 gallons of water into the forests, but the resulting smoke covered Englewood Cliffs and nearby towns, including Tenafly. A Red Flag Warning stayed in effect until 6 p.m. on Friday due to dryness, and the cause of the fire remains unknown.
This incident on Friday was just one of hundreds of fires that have been occurring in the region. In the recent weeks since the start of fall, wildfires have been constantly plaguing parts of New York and northern New Jersey. October and the first week of November saw no rain, causing dryness that easily sparked fires. According to The New York Times, as these conditions persist, New Jersey’s Forest Fire Service has responded to 537 wildfires since early October, about 500 more fires than last year around this time.
The Times reports that one of the wildfires has even taken the life of 18-year-old Dariel Vasquez, an employee of the New York State Parks system. The employee was helping to clear trees and shrubs in Orange County, one of the regions ablaze in the New York metro area, when a tree fell on him. While Mr. Vasquez was not a firefighter, he decided to help as one of the park system employees.
In the article, Orange County executive Steve Neuhaus stated, “We’ve been going pretty much nonstop in the last 24 hours trying to put out different fires around the county.”
The Jennings Creek Wildfire, which had been burning for six consecutive days by Wednesday, was announced to be 50 percent contained in New Jersey after destroying 2,283 acres. In New York, however, schools and after-school activities had to shut down on November 14 and 15.
According to The Times, October was the driest month in New York City history. While the tri-state area hopes for rain to relieve the dry conditions, few promising signs are present.
“New York City is under its first drought watch in more than 20 years — a level that could escalate to a warning, and then to an emergency, if the city’s reservoirs do not fill up to normal levels,” states the The Times. “A drought emergency could lead the city to impose mandatory restrictions on water use.”
New York’s Mayor Eric Adams recently announced a ban on grilling in public parks to prevent a drought. It encouraged residents to conserve water by “taking shorter showers, flushing the toilet only when necessary, and fixing leaky faucets.” The announcement also reminded residents that fireworks, smoking on construction sites across the five boroughs, and tapping street lights for electricity all remain illegal. Additionally, bundled leaves should be regularly cleaned to avoid catching fire and speeding up a forest fire. A report by the National Park Service stated that almost 85 percent of all wildfires in the United States are caused by humans, so following such regulations may reduce the frequency of fires.
The record-breaking dry weather and powerful winds continue to bolster wildfires, and the few prospects of rain are raising further concerns. However, many fires are successfully being put out through the efforts of Forest Fire Services, alleviating air quality conditions in multiple regions.
