The massive wildfire that killed a young parks worker and burned nearly 5,000 acres on the border of New York and New Jersey reached a critical turning point on Thursday night, according to updates from state and local officials.
The Jennings Creek wildfire in New York’s Orange County and New Jersey’s Passaic County was 75% contained on the Jersey side as of late Thursday afternoon, the state’s Forest Fire Service agency said. That figure rose to 90% as of Friday afternoon. The fire burned a total of 2,283 acres in Passaic County, closing local roads and pulling in ground crews as well as helicopters to help control the blaze.
"Forest Fire Service crews will remain on scene for the next several days to continue to improve containment lines and address areas of concern until significant precipitation occurs to ensure public safety," the agency said on social media on Friday. "Smoke is expected to remain present until significant rain falls."
Most of the fire on the New York side was concentrated around the Greenwood Lake area and was 69% contained as of Thursday evening, according to Greenwood Lake Mayor Tom Howley. More than 300 firefighters from six state agencies were involved in the effort, and a crew of 20 specialized firefighters from Montana were expected to arrive on Friday to help, Howley said.
“We are still in a state of emergency,” Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus said in an update posted on social media on Thursday. Schools in the area remained closed on Friday. “We are making progress, but again — a lot to deal with. It’s very difficult terrain for people to work with.”
Chinook military helicopters, which can drop up to 2,000 gallons of water at a time, were deployed alongside National Guard and State Police Helicopters, according to local officials.
The town of Tuxedo, New York, warned residents that about 1,500 acres would be purposefully backburned starting on Friday to starve the main wildfire of additional fuel. Officials urged people to avoid traveling in the area and to move anyone with respiratory issues to temporary shelters the town had opened.
Helicopters drop water on the Jennings Creek fire in upstate New York and North Jersey in November 2024.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state has not seen a fire of this size since at least 2008. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
In New York City, firefighters spent much of Wednesday afternoon and early Thursday working to knock down a 4-acre brush fire in Inwood Hill Park in Manhattan. The blaze led to multiple trees collapsing in what a former city parks official called the borough's "most ancient forest."
This story has been updated with additional information about the containment of the wildfire in New Jersey.
