An upstate New York forest ranger died on Saturday, November 9, during a wildfire in Greenwood Lake, NY, according to a Facebook post from the Plattekill Fire Department.

“Our sincere condolences to our comrade and his family,” the department said.

On Saturday evening, November 9, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said it was a brush fire near Greenwood Lake Turnpike and East Shore Road in West Milford, NJ, and in Orange County, NY.

The fire covers 2,000 acres and two homes are threatened, along with eight buildings in the Long Pond Ironworks Historic District.

No evacuations have been ordered.

The Forest Fire Department has fire trucks and ground personnel there. Earlier in the day, two helicopters were also present that could drop 350 liters of water.

East Shore Road is closed from Awosting Road to Greenwood Lake Turnpike and Beach Road is also closed. All trails at Long Pond Ironworks State Park and Tranquility Ridge are closed.

Members of the West Milford Woman’s Club, who were at Ringwood Manor on Saturday afternoon making decorations for the annual Victorian Christmas tour, were told to leave due to fire danger.

Earlier Saturday, the West Milford Office of Emergency Management (OEM) said East Shore Road was closed due to firefighters responding to Jennings Creek, just across the border in upstate New York.

Smoke was present in Awosting and Greenwood Lake as a result of the wildfire, the OEM said around 10:45 a.m.

The Warwick Police Department said its members, the New York State Police and the New York State Forest Rangers, along with the Greenwood Lake Fire Department, were monitoring the Jennings Creek fire.

A red flag warning was issued in Passaic, Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties until 6 p.m. Saturday.

That means critical fire conditions are occurring or will soon occur due to a combination of high winds, low relative humidity and dry fuels. Any fires that develop can quickly get out of control and be difficult to control.

Stage 3 Fire restrictions remain in place. No burning is allowed except for gas, propane or electric grills.

The regulations are strictly enforced. Violators can be fined up to $1,200.

Cannonball fire

The Forest Fire Service reported “substantial progress” in battling a wildfire in Pompton Lakes that is threatening dozens of structures.

Saturday afternoon the fire near Cannonball Road was reported to be 50% contained.

The fire is destroying 162 hectares and threatening 55 buildings, although no evacuations have been ordered.

The fire earlier led to the closure of the right lane of northbound Route 287, officials said.

Fire activity in West Milford

The West Milford Fire Department reported fighting four wildfires Friday evening, November 8.

At approximately 7:30 p.m., Companies 2, 4 and 1 responded to Paradise Road 18 for a reported brush fire. They found a brush fire at the base of a utility pole that was growing quickly.

The fire was quickly extinguished, but suppression tactics were halted when firefighters learned that the utility pole’s ground wire was energized by a primary line at the top of the pole. The energy company and the forest fire brigade were called to the scene.

A bushfire was reported on Clinton Road near Coventry Lane at around 8.45pm. Firefighters used suppression tactics and created firebreaks. The forest fire was called and the fire was put down.

Just after 11 p.m., Companies 2, 4 and 1 were dispatched to Route 23 North near Dairy Queen for a reported large brush fire. They found a brush fire traveling just north of the rest area up Kanouse Mountain.

Firefighters prevented it from jumping over a concrete waterway on the mountain. Tankers were requested at Jefferson and Kinnelon and the Green Pond Fire Department was asked to respond with a brush truck and UTV. The West Milford First Aid crew also responded.

A water supply was installed on the highway. West Milford firefighters assisted Forest Fire Services with the cleanup.

At midnight, Company 3 was asked to respond to the Pompton Lakes cannonball fire with Tanker 3 to assist with water supply and structure protection.

Pinelands fires

Firefighters battled fires in New Jersey’s parched Pinelands on Thursday, November 7, where conditions say they are the driest in at least 120 years.

A wildfire in the Philadelphia suburb of Evesham forced the evacuation of a dozen homes and threatened dozens of other homes on Thursday. The fire was discovered Thursday morning and had burned completely out of control for less than half a square mile (less than 2 square kilometers) by early afternoon, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said.

Crews battled another brush fire about an hour away Thursday in Jackson Township that was discovered a day earlier.

And late Thursday afternoon, a third, smaller fire broke out in Glassboro, another Philadelphia suburb. Few details about that fire were immediately available.

No injuries or property damage were reported in any of the fires.

“This is the driest we’ve ever seen in the history of the agency,” said Jeremy Webber, supervisory fire chief for the fire department, which was founded in 1906.

The lack of significant rainfall since August contributed to the dry conditions, prompting the state to impose strict restrictions on outdoor fires.

The fire in Jackson Township had grown to less than 4 square miles and was 40% contained by late Thursday afternoon, said Greg McLaughlin, fire department administrator.

Conditions were so dry that new fires broke out continuously as wind-blown leaves fell on burning or smoldering areas.

About 25 homes were evacuated near the Jackson fire, although residents were allowed to return Wednesday evening.

In Evesham, the fire threatened a total of 104 homes, including a dozen that were evacuated on Thursday. A helicopter dropped 350 gallons (1,325 liters) of water at a time during the fire, officials said.

Joann Bertone lives near the Jackson fire and described animal and horse owners rushing to arrange trailers to get them to safety.

“It was extremely scary,” she said. “I was awake all night. It was nerve-wracking.”

The causes of all three fires are still under investigation.

No rain in a month

Dry conditions have caused many wildfires in New Jersey in recent weeks.

Since Nov. 1, the state has seen 102 forest or forest fires that burned less than a square mile (less than 2 square miles), fire officials said.

The state has not seen any significant rain for over a month, and this trend was expected to continue for at least the next few days.

New Jersey had more than 400 wildfires in October alone, setting a new record, McLaughlin said.

Even the promised rain from Sunday evening, November 10, to Monday, November 11, was not expected to make much of a difference, Webber said.

“We need inches of rain, not just one or two,” he said