By Brendan O’Brien and Maria Tsvetkova
(Reuters) – The first measurable rainfall over New Jersey in weeks raised hopes on Monday of snuffing out a rash of wildfires that has plagued the state, while stronger winds brought concern that a California blaze that had already destroyed dozens of structures could start expanding again.
Wildfire outbreaks are a relatively common occurrence in California, but the East Coast blazes are unusual. The largest of them has torched some 3,000 acres (1,214 hectares) in a forested area straddling the New York-New Jersey border.
The blaze, known as the Jennings Creek fire, has already killed one person, an 18-year-old employee of New York State Parks department, according to local police. Police said in a statement that Daniel Vasquez died while battling the fire as it ripped through Sterling Forest on the shore of Greenwood Lake, about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of New York City.
On Monday, crews got a break when the first measurable precipitation fell on the region since mid-September. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service said about a quarter inch of rain fell across Jennings Creek fire overnight.
The size of the fire and its containment, at 10%, however were unchanged on Monday morning from Sunday.
“This provided an opportunity to rest several of the crews who have been working non-stop to contain this fire,” the service said. “Today, crews are be back on scene and will continue to improve containment lines and address areas of concern.”
In California, firefighters have slowly gained on the 20,630 acre (8,350 hectares) Mountain Fire as it burned about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Los Angeles.
The fire, which started last Wednesday, was 36% contained after destroying more than 160 structures, according to Cal Fire.
The area remains on high alert as winds were expected to strengthen on Monday and into Tuesday with gusts reaching 45 miles (72 km) per hour, the National Weather Service said in its forecast.
NO IMPACT ON DROUGHT
As much as a 1/2 inch of rain was recorded in several East Coast cities overnight, the National Weather Service in Mount Holly reported. Some cities, like Trenton, New Jersey, had not seen rain in 42 days, the service said.
“This will NOT have any meaningful impact on the drought, but should briefly quell the extreme fire danger,” the service said, as overnight rain gave way to clear skies on Monday morning.
Northern New Jersey was downgraded to “very high” fire danger on Monday morning, from “extreme” before the rain. The southern third of the state was still considered “extreme,” while Central New Jersey’s danger was rated “moderate,” the state’s forest service said on its website.
Overall, New Jersey’s forest fire service reported about 10 separate wildfires in different parts of the state over the past week, including one in Englewood Cliffs, across the Hudson River from uptown New York City, where haze was visible and the air smelled of smoke over the weekend.
Other New Jersey blazes were much smaller than the Jennings Creek fire and were largely contained by Monday, according to the local forest fire service.
On Friday night, a two-acre fire broke out in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, damaging its last remaining forest called Ravine in Prospect Park, according to Prospect Park Alliance, an organization that sustains the park. The fire was extinguished by Saturday.
A 37-year-old New Jersey man has been charged with arson and violation of provisions relating to firearms after he fired a shotgun round that ignited combustibles and started a wildfire in Ocean County, the local prosecutor said over the weekend.
(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Chicago and Maria Tsvetkova in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
