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November 10, 2024

Wildfires in New Jersey, New York claim life of first responder, trigger unhealthy air quality readings

NEW YORK – Residents across New York City awoke to a thin brown haze, the smell of smoke Saturday, and worsening air quality as a nearby wildfire raged, causing at least one fatality.Several air quality readings have degraded into the “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” around Manhattan and Brooklyn, according to AirNow, with a few sites measuring smoke and pollution levels climbing to “unhealthy” levels for all people.Video from LaGuardia Airport showed a layer of brown haze hovering just over the Manhattan skyline, while multiple residents told FOX Weather their homes or apartments “smelled like a campfire” on Saturday morning.A clear and calm night allowed morning temperatures near the surface to drop into the low 40s around New York. A warmer layer of air hovered just above the ground, creating a temperature inversion.Meanwhile, what little breath of wind blew in from the north/northwest, where wildfires are burning in northern New Jersey.  One fire is burning near the New York-New Jersey state line and appears to be a large source of the smoke, according to the FOX Forecast Center. The Jennings Creek Wildfire scorched at least 2,000 acres, and, at last report, threatened around a dozen structures.The mayor of West Milford Township, New Jersey, said there was one fatality connected to the fire and the victim was reported to be a first responder from New York.Details surrounding the fatality were not made immediately available, but crews working the fire were expected to release further details on the blaze on Sunday.Other fires nearby include several acres of brush burning in northern New Jersey’s Englewood Cliffs.  Air Quality Alerts remain in effect through the day into Saturday night as more smoke may drift into the city. Meanwhile, wildfires and smoke remain a threat through the weekend as the Northeast endures one of its driest stretches on record. Millions from the Jersey Shore to Boston were under Fire Weather Warnings due to the increased risk of weather conditions conducive for wildfires.Firefighters worked at least a dozen blazes in the tri-state region Friday, also sending occasional smoke plumes into New York City’s boroughs.One of those fires brought dozens of firefighters from the New York City Fire Department to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.BROOKLYN BRUSH FIRE ERUPTS DURING ONE OF MOST EXTENSIVE DROUGHTS IN RECENT MEMORY IN NEW YORK”New Yorkers come together in times of crisis, and right now, amidst the driest spell in recent memory, we need New Yorkers to do just that and conserve as much water as possible,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a recent statement. There is good news in the forecast once the weekend comes to an end. A front will bring the first soaking rain to the region in weeks late Sunday into Monday, improving air quality and wildfire conditions.