New Jersey wildfires sending smoke, poor air quality to NYC

A series of wildfires ravaging parts of rain-starved New Jersey were sending plumes of smoke across the Hudson River and into New York, leaving much of the city blanketed in an eerie haze.

At least six fires, all of them fueled by bone-dry conditions and windy weather, were actively burning across the Garden State on Saturday, from the Pinelands in central and western parts of New Jersey to the New York City suburbs.

The latest blaze, dubbed the Jennings Creek Wildfire, broke out Saturday in West Milford. By mid-afternoon, it had already ripped across 1,800 acres and was 0% contained, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.

On Friday afternoon, the Pompton Lakes Fire broke out on the property of the old DuPont factory, once a chemical worksite, on Cannonball Road, just off Route 28.

As of Saturday afternoon, the blaze had burned through 100 acres of land and was 0% contained. While no evacuation orders had been issued, the Forest Fire Service said on X the flames posed a risk to 55 nearby structures.

Earlier on Friday, a separate fire broke out in Englewood Cliffs near Exit 1 on the Palisades Parkway, about a mile north of the George Washington Bridge. By Saturday, it had ripped through 39 acres and was about 40% contained, according to the Forest Fire Service.

One northbound lane of the parkway had been closed, and Henry Hudson Drive was also shut down.

Efforts to battle back the fires have been made all the more difficult by the dry conditions across New Jersey. The state has not received measurable rain in over a month, setting a new record, the National Weather Service said.

Across the river in New York City, residents in Upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx woke up on Saturday to the smell of smoke.

Video from LaGuardia Airport showed a layer of brown fog stretching across the Manhattan skyline early Saturday morning — and the smoggy conditions only worsened throughout the day.

Shortly after noon, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation issued an air quality advisory, warning of risks for “unhealthy and sensitive groups.” The potential danger for those who are healthy, however, remains low, the agency noted.

“If your eyes are watering, your throat is sore, you have a headache or you are out of breath or coughing during outdoor activities, take a break and go indoors,” the New York Department of Health added.

Red Flag warnings had also been issued across the tristate area, from New Jersey to New York City to Fairfield County in Connecticut. The alert, sent out by the National Weather Service, indicated the presence of critical fire weather conditions — including low humidity, strong winds, and dry vegetation — that create a high risk of wildfires starting and spreading quickly.

With News Wire Services