Parks worker dies in Sterling Forest wildfire

New York State Police said they were investigating the death of Dariel Vasquez, an 18-year-old state parks employee who died when a tree fell on him Saturday afternoon, Nov. 9 as he battled a major brush fire in Sterling Forest, located in Greenwood Lake.

“RIP brother, your shift is over, job well done,” a New York State forestry services post said.

Jeremy Oldroyd, a forest ranger with New York State, said Vasquez died “assisting with fire line construction.”

“Wildland firefighting is a very dangerous profession, and we try to take as many precautions as we can mitigate some of the hazards that are out there in the wildland fire environment. But occasionally accidents do happen,” he said.

On Sunday, Nov. 10, New Jersey’s Forest Fire Service said the blaze — dubbed the Jennings Creek Wildfire — was threatening 25 structures, including two New Jersey homes.

It had burned 2,283 acres in New Jersey and was 30% contained as of Tuesday night, Nov. 12.

NYS Governor Kathy Hochul visited Greenwood Lake on Tuesday afternoon and said the fire, when including both N.Y. and N.J., encompasses 5,000 acres, half of which is in N.Y.

No evacuations have been ordered and there was no immediate threat to property. As a precaution, 12 homes in the Town of Warwick voluntarily evacuated. Winds that are forecast as high as 25 mph were expected to dissipate Wednesday, Nov. 13, officials said.

“Some of the challenges fighting the fire include the remoteness of it, the rugged terrain of the area, as well as shifting winds,” said Assistant Division Firewarden Chris Franek of the Forest Fire Service.

’Looking better’

After attending a briefing by officials Tuesday morning, West Milford Mayor Michele Dale said, “I don’t want to say it is looking good, but it is looking better. The winds are in our favor today. Firefighters shored up the area along East Shore Road and they are on Route 511 today continuing operations making sure that the fire lines hold with the increasing winds.

“They did backburn yesterday along 511, and they created fire lines to ensure the fire doesn’t spread over the line.”

Forecasts on Tuesday called for winds to shift to out of the north in coming days, raising concern the fire may be redirected south toward West Milford.

“Again, that’s the long-term forecast,” said Dale, who has been in touch with Warwick (N.Y.) Supervisor Jesse Dwyer as they monitor the blaze. “I cannot comment on that. There will be a New Jersey State Police helicopter flyover today to further assess the situation.”

By Tuesday evening, Supervisor Dwyer said fire crews had been able to keep the fire from spreading more aggressively using helicopters to drop water from above and volunteers on foot.

“At this time, the fire continues to move slowly toward the Village line but with current wind directions, this will not happen too quickly,” he said Tuesday evening. “A manmade fire line has been created on the perimeter of Wah Ta Wah Park cutting east to prevent the fire from getting near the park. Additionally, the fire line has water run[ing] the entire length of the line so we can also use water to combat additional spread in that direction. Crews are confident it will not hit Wah Ta Wah. Continue to stay prepared and be vigilant.”

Dwyer also noted the opening of rifle hunting season in the State of New York on Saturday. As a precaution, he said he and the state park commissioner have decided to prohibit hunting in any portion of Sterling Forest State Park until this fire is fully contained.

By Wednesday morning, the fire made its way down to East Shore Rd. According to a Town of Warwick announcement, the fire service plan was to direct the fire around homes and burn off as much fuel sources as possible. On Wednesday Orange & Rockland cut power to portions of East Shore Rd., from 32 Edgemere to the N.J. state line as the crews work to suppress the fire along East Shore, which remains closed to non-local traffic on the N.Y. side, and closed to everyone on the N.J. side.

Health advisories were issued for parts of New York, including New York City, and northeastern New Jersey for unhealthy air quality because of smoke from the fires.

People were urged to limit strenuous outdoor physical activity if possible; those especially sensitive included the very young and very old and people with ailments such as asthma and heart disease.

Progress elsewhere

There was progress on other fires.

By Tuesday, the fire in Denning in Ulster County was 95% contained within 630 acres, according to the governor. Hochul also announced a statewide burn ban in effect until November 30 due to an increased fire risk as the state continues to experience drought conditions.

A second 42-acre fire located near West Mombasha Road and the Appalachian Trail and is considered contained, Hochul also said Tuesday.

New Jersey officials reported 75% containment of a 175-acre fire in the Pompton Lakes area of Passaic County that was threatening 55 homes, although no evacuations had been ordered, as well as progress on other fires burning in the state amid bone-dry conditions.

Early Sunday afternoon, Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus acknowledged “the heartbreaking loss of a first-responder who tragically died in the line of duty.”

“This tragic loss serves as a reminder of the extraordinary dedication and sacrifice our first-responders make to protect our community, even in the most difficult circumstances.”

Neuhaus said he is working closely with Warwick Supervisor Jesse Dwyer, Greenwood Lake Mayor Tom Howley, and his emergency services command team to coordinate the response to the fires.

“County and municipal fire service personnel, in collaboration with state fire resources, are working tirelessly in the difficult terrain around the town of Warwick and Greenwood Lake area to combat the fires. While first-responders continue to monitor the situation closely, there is currently no immediate threat to homes or individuals.”

He urged residents near the fires to have an evacuation plan in place if the situation changes. “At this time, the Incident Command team has not indicated that evacuations are imminent, but we continue to monitor the situation carefully.”

The Red Cross set up a temporary shelter at the Greenwood Lake Community Center, 51 Waterstone Road, for anyone in need of assistance.

State of emergency

On Sunday evening, Michael Moscatello, emergency management coordinator for West Milford, declared a local state of emergency in the township.

“Operations will continue throughout the evening and into tomorrow, with crews working around the clock at the scene. If evacuations become necessary, we will directly notify affected residents,” he said.

“We are aware that the fire has reached the road line in some areas, and fire suppression teams are on site to provide structure protection as needed.

“This is a massive operation and we ask residents to avoid the area. After meeting with the state fire official in charge, I want to reassure residents that we are in capable hands, and every effort is being made to ensure our safety.”

Earlier Sunday, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Forest Fire Service reported the sprawling blaze had spread to more than three square miles near the border of West Milford and Orange County, N.Y.

The fire was threatening two homes and eight buildings in the Long Pond Ironworks Historic District.

On Saturday evening, the Forest Fire Service said it was at a wildfire burning near Greenwood Lake Turnpike and East Shore Road in West Milford.

The service has fire engines and ground crews there. Earlier in the day, two helicopters capable of dropping 350 gallons of water were there too.

East Shore Road remains closed from Awosting Road to Greenwood Lake Turnpike. Beech Road is also closed.

All trails in Long Pond Ironworks State Park and Tranquility Ridge are closed, as are all trails in the Ringwood Manor section of Ringwood State Park.

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

Stage 3 Fire Restrictions remain in effect in New Jersey. No burning is permitted except for gas, propane, or electric grills.

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

West Milford fire activity

The West Milford Fire Department reported fighting four wildfires Friday night.

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

The blaze was quickly extinguished but suppression tactics were halted when firefighters learned that the ground wire for the utility pole was energized by a primary line at the top of the pole. The power company and Forest Fire Service were called to the scene.

About 8:45 p.m., a brush fire on Clinton Road near Coventry Lane was reported. Firefighters used suppression tactics and created fire breaks. The Forest Fire was called, and the fire was knocked 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 up Kanouse Mountain just north of the rest area.

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

A water supply was set up on the highway. West Milford firefighters assisted the Forest Fire Services with mop up.

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

No rain in a month

Dry conditions have helped spark many wildfires in New York and New Jersey in recent weeks.

Since Nov. 1, the state has seen 102 forest or wildfires that burned less than a square mile (less than two square kilometers), the fire service said.

The state has not seen significant rain in more than a month, and that 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.

Not even some promised rain Sunday night, Nov. 10 into Monday, Nov. 11 was expected to make much of a difference, Webber said.

“We’re going to need inches of rain, not just one or two,” he said.

According to Hochul’s Tuesday announcement, from 2007 to 2023, N.Y. had an average of 117 wildfires per year, with an average of 1,400 acres burned per year. The wildfire at Jennings Creek-Sterling Forest State Park in Warwick supersedes the amount of acreage burned in wildfires in 14 of the 17 years of available data per the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in New York State.