Blustery conditions hampered firefighters on Tuesday as they sought to contain a stubborn wildfire in northern New Jersey and across the New York state border in Orange County that has been burning for five days.
In a 6:30 p.m. update, fire officials said the blaze in Long Pond Ironworks State Park was 30% contained, up from 20% earlier in the day. The fire had consumed 2,283 acres on the New Jersey side of the border, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said. An estimate of the number of acres destroyed on the New York side was not immediately available.
An overnight wind shift produced blustery conditions throughout the day Tuesday, complicating firefighting efforts.
Chris Franek, the assistant fire warden for the New Jersey Forest Fire Service in command of the Jennings Creek Wildfire, said at a press briefing at Skylands Manor in Ringwood that some suppression tactics could not be used because of the wind, but he was confident that efforts on the ground were having an impact.
“In places where we are engaged with the fire, our tactics seem to be holding the line,” Franek said.
A red flag warning is in effect for northeastern New Jersey, including Passaic County due to dry, windy conditions, the National Weather Service said.
The warning runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and also covers Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties.
The weather service says to expect northwesterly winds of 15 to 25 mph with occasional gusts up to 35 mph through early evening.
”A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are expected or occurring,” the weather service said. “A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and dry fuels will create a significantly elevated fire growth potential.”
Firefighters work at the scene of a large wildfire on Sunday in West Milford. The fire is 3,500 acres and 20% contained on Tuesday morning.New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
State forest firefighters from New Jersey and New York are teaming with volunteers to stop the blaze. So far, the only break they’ve gotten was the quarter-inch of rain that fell on Sunday night that briefly slowed the fire.
But by Tuesday morning, the ground had dried and a northwesterly wind was whipping whitecaps on nearby Greenwood Lake. Helicopters continued to dip their buckets into Greenwood Lake to drop water on the fire, and a dense cloud of smoke drifted southeast over the Monksville Dam and the Wanaque Reservoir. Route 511 remained open in the smokey haze.
Although the fire advanced the historic village at the Long Pond Ironworks, the eight wood-frame structures, including an old church off Route 511, were unscathed as of Tuesday evening. Although the park is closed, people stopped in the parking lot throughout the day on Tuesday to check on the fire and make sure the village was still there.
“I had to come see for myself,” said Debbie Van Dunk, a Ringwood resident who grew up in the Long Pond Ironworks. “This was my childhood home.”
The house is still standing and is used by the managers of the state park, she said. “My mom was born here. My brother was born in that house. My family has been here forever.”
Van Dunk, 65, said she remembers attending services in the old wood church across the street.
She was relieved when she drove through the thick smoke to find the her childhood home and the rest of the village untouched by fire. Nowadays, she lives in nearby Stonetown, a section of Ringwood. With the fire still moving, she didn’t feel safe and was concerned about her neighbors.
“I understand this is historical,” she said of Long Pond. “But we’re all in jeopardy.”
There’s no rain in the forecast for the rest of the week, but the wind is supposed to calm down. That should make it a little easier for firefighters, Franek said.
“Progress is being made,” he said.
ALSO: Record-breaking rainless streak ends, but dry trend may start again
The fire first broke out Friday night, officials said. So far, there have been no mandatory evacuations.
An 18-year-old firefighter died battling the blaze in Sterling Forest. Dariel Vasquez, a parks employee in New York, was killed Saturday in the New York section of the park, New York State Police said. His death remained under investigation.
Another firefighter suffered a minor injury on Tuesday but did not require hospitalization, Franek said.
Two homes in West Milford and eight additional buildings in the Long Pond Ironworks Historic District are threatened on Tuesday, though no evacuations are in place, officials said.
Beech Road remains closed as does East Shore Road between Awosting Road and Greenwood Lake Turnpike.
In addition, all trails in Long Pond Ironworks State Park, Tranquility Ridge and in the Ringwood Manor section of Ringwood State Park are closed.
Stories by Jeff Goldman
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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.