Wildfires are raging across the Northeast amid hot, dry conditions

Gusty winds and low humidity are helping to fuel wildfires burning across the Northeast, with cities in the region on high alert Saturday.

Red flag warnings – which indicate an increased risk of fire danger due to hot temperatures, very low humidity and stronger winds – had been in effect for some northeastern cities through Saturday afternoon.

A number of cities in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island will be under a red flag warning between 9 and 18 Sunday, according to National Weather Service.

The vegetation in the area is still very dry. The region is about 6 to 8 inches behind in precipitation since September 1st. A cold front is expected to pass through the region Sunday, bringing up to 1 inch of rain.

A brush fire in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park burned overnight Friday into Saturday after about 2 acres of dry vegetation ignited during strong wind gusts, the New York City Fire Department said on X. Firefighters worked overnight to extinguish the blaze.

“This has been a historically dry time for New York City, and more than 100 brush fires have occurred this month alone,” the FDNY said.

In Pennsylvania, firefighters are working to control a fire that broke out in Berks County due to dry and windy conditions. The fire started around 11:30 p.m. Friday on Neversink Mountain in Reading, where smoke could be seen rising from the blaze.

The fire resulted in the evacuation of nearby residents to Amanda E. Stout Elementary School, according to Reading Mayor Eddie Morán.

“The Forestry Division of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) will lead the firefighting and cleanup operation, which is expected to continue for several days, and coordinate any additional resources required,” Morán said.

Two fires are burning in Passaic County, New Jersey: the Cannonball 3 Wildfire in Pompton Lakes and the Jennings Creek Wildfire in West Milford, the latter of which is also burning in part of Orange County, New York.

The The 175-acre Cannonball 3 Wildfire is 75% containedaccording to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. 55 structures are threatened by the fire and the cause is under investigation.

The fire is on private property owned by chemical company DuPont, New Jersey Forest Fire Service Chief Bill Donnelly said at a Saturday news conference.

Officials were first notified of the blaze around 3 p.m. Friday, and “over time it started to grow with all the wind,” Mayor Mike Serra said at the news conference.

A representative for DuPont did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment Saturday evening.

The Jennings Creek Wildfire, which Donnelly said firefighters only discovered Friday as it pushed toward New York, has already burned 2,000 acres and threatens 10 structures. It is 0% contained.

Donnelly said the wind changed overnight and pushed the fire back over the New Jersey border. Two helicopters and 33 firefighters are working to put out the fire, he said.

The fire is the largest so far this year, Donnelly said, and it’s not clear how it started.

Several local authorities confirmed that one person died while fighting the fire.

The Plattekill Fire Department said the person was a state forest ranger who died while fighting the fire in Greenwood Lake, New York, on Saturday.

A tree fell on the ranger, killing him, Eastern Dutchess County Fire and Rescue said. It did not identify him.

“Rip brother your watch is over well done,” the eastern Dutchess County officials said.

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service responded to more than 400 fires last month and about 40 fire calls Friday and Saturday, Donnelly said, noting that some are still burning while others have been contained.

Donnelly said that around the same time last year, the department responded to 27 fires that burned a total of just eight acres over a two-week period. But in the last month, he said, they have responded to over 400 fires covering more than 800 acres, a consequence of the dry conditions.

Another 39-acre wildfire is burning in Bergen County is 75% containedaccording to the state fire department.

One of the biggest problems for New Jersey firefighters is the “reburn factor,” Donnelly said, noting that some fires that started in July are burning again.

The active wildfires triggered air quality alerts in both New Jersey and New York, where residents were discouraged from engaging in strenuous outdoor activities.

On the West Coast, the wildfire continues to burn in Ventura County, California, and has spread over more than 20,600 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). The fire was per 21% under control 5:29 PM PT. Its cause is under investigation.

Air quality alerts are in effect throughout Southern California due to wildfire smoke.

CORRECTION (Nov. 9, 2024, 7:46 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this article misstated the name of a fire burning in Passaic County, New Jersey, and Orange County, New York. It’s Jennings Creek Wildfire, not Jennings Creed Wildfire.