An 18-year-old New York state employee was killed Saturday while battling a wildfire in Orange County’s Sterling Forest.
Dariel Vasquez, an aid working for the New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Department, was helping mitigate the forest fire when he was killed, the New York State Police said in a statement. Police are investigating the incident.
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of one of our New York State Parks employees while responding to a wildfire in Orange County yesterday,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement Sunday. “My prayers go out to his family, friends and coworkers during this difficult time.”
Wildfires continue to rage amid warm, dry conditions across the Northeast, where 11 million people remain under fire alerts Sunday afternoon. Cities under fire alerts include Boston and Hartford.
In New York, 60 wildfires have erupted since Oct. 1, consuming over 2,100 acres, New York State Forest Ranger Jeremy Oldroyd said Sunday afternoon.
Multiple fires are burning in Orange County, where County Executive Steve Neuhaus is encouraging residents living near the fires to have an evacuation plan.
“At this time, the Incident Command team has not indicated that evacuations are imminent, but we continue to monitor the situation carefully,” Neuhaus said in an update Sunday.
An air quality health advisory was issued Sunday for the New York City metropolitan area and the Lower and Upper Hudson Valley regions due to pollution levels potentially exceeding an Air Quality Index value of 100.
Orange County’s Sterling Forest fire is also affecting Passaic County, New Jersey — where it’s been dubbed the Jennings Creek Wildfire, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. The fire has spread to 2,500 acres and is 0% contained as of Sunday evening. It’s cause is under investigation.
New Jersey Forest Fire Chief Bill Donnelly said the fire is expected to continue burning until it reaches the control line, or barrier used to stop the spread of the fire.
“So we may not actually get this done today, possibly not even tomorrow, but hopefully by the end of the week, we can secure our control lines and make sure the fire stays where we want it to,” Donnelly said Sunday afternoon.
Elsewhere in Passaic County, the 175-acre Cannonball 3 wildfire is 75% contained. Its cause is also under investigation.
A man was arrested after he was accused of starting a fire in Jackson Township, New Jersey, the forest fire service said in a news release. The man allegedly fired ammunition from a shotgun, igniting the fire behind a berm near a rifle club. The man was charged with arson and violation of the regulatory provisions relating to firearms.
Since Oct. 1, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service has responded to 537 wildfires in the state that consumed a total of 4,500 acres, according to Donnelly.
In Massachusetts, a brush fire is burning in Lynn Woods Reservation, a forest park in Essex County. The park is closed to the public until further notice, the city of Lynn said in a statement on X.
Drone video from the park shows smoke rising from a raging fire.
“Falling trees, air quality, and the threat of additional fires continue to pose significant dangers to the public,” the city said.
On Sunday, dry vegetation, 25 mph wind gusts and relative humidity of around 40% will increase the risk of any new or existing fires to rapidly spread. An approaching cold front will bring the chance of rain and higher humidity later Sunday evening.
A slow-moving front will continue advancing east Sunday afternoon, bringing much-needed moisture to the eastern third of the country, which includes the Northeast.
Showers will move into the Northeast and mid-Atlantic later Sunday evening and overnight. Rainfall totals will be relatively light, ranging from 0.5 inches to 1 inch.
The forecast rain will likely break the record streak of consecutive dry days in Philadelphia. The current streak is 42 days, shattering the previous record of 29 set in 1874.
