On Monday, wildfires are raging on both the East and West coasts. Firefighters in New York and New Jersey are battling a particularly deadly fire that’s been fueled by an ongoing historic drought. Meanwhile, strong winds in Southern California could make a bad situation worse for a fire in Ventura County.
The Jennings Creek Fire has already burned around 3,500 acres across parts of New York and New Jersey, and as of Monday evening, it’s only 20% contained, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service on X. Although some rain on Sunday helped slow things down a bit, Assistant Division Firewarden Christopher Franek mentioned during a news conference that dry conditions and high winds are expected to persist throughout the week.
Bryan Gallagher, spokesperson for the New York State Forest Rangers, noted that conditions are pushing the limits of when helicopters can safely operate. “We’re really hoping it doesn’t get any worse so we can still use our air support tomorrow,” he said.
Fortunately, there haven’t been any civilian injuries reported yet; however, an 18-year-old member of a Wildland Fire Crew tragically lost his life while responding to the blaze over the weekend.
Dariel Vasquez died Saturday afternoon when a tree fell in his vicinity during firefighting efforts. He had just graduated from Ramapo High School where he played varsity baseball for the East Ramapo Titans.
His second cousin Anthony Vasquez shared how much Dariel meant to their family: “He was such a great young man who really cared about others.”
He added that losing him has been devastating because they’re such a close-knit family focused on community service.
Dariel was not only admired by his peers but also had dreams of becoming an electrician; he planned to study electrical work in college starting this January.
Meanwhile, back on the West Coast, strong winds are expected to return to Southern California this week—raising concerns that the Mountain Fire could spread further after causing significant damage over the weekend when calmer weather allowed firefighters to increase containment efforts up to 36%.
Wind advisories have been issued for areas in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties with gusts potentially reaching 50-60 mph; although there’s some hope for rain from an approaching cold front.
The Mountain Fire has led to thousands of evacuation orders; sadly, some families have returned home only to find their houses either damaged or completely destroyed.
As of Sunday night, Cal Fire reported that flames have scorched about 20,600 acres.
Since the fire ignited on Wednesday, it has destroyed 192 structures and damaged another 82.
There have been six reported injuries—five civilians and one firefighter.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but officials are checking if power lines might have played a role.
While California is no stranger to wildfires, New York hasn’t experienced a fire season like this since 2002, according to Jeremy Oldroyd from the state’s environmental conservation department.
Since October 1, nearly 600 wildfires have burned around 7,000 acres across New Jersey and New York.
Most of these incidents occurred in New Jersey, where the Forest Fire Service has tackled 537 wildfires—almost 500 more than last year at this time—and these fires have consumed about 4,500 acres.
Donnelly noted that New Jersey hasn’t faced conditions this dry since records began, which poses significant challenges for firefighting efforts.
Some fires in New Jersey have been burning since July 5th! Following reports of a wildfire and a two-alarm forest fire in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on Friday night, Mayor Eric Adams has prohibited grilling in city parks to prevent further incidents.
Over the past ten days alone, there have been 120 brush fires in the city! Adams urged residents to take precautions against fires and conserve water during this ongoing drought.
Houses destroyed by the fire
In California, as the aftermath of the Mountain Fire is being evaluated, Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner expressed his gratitude for the lives saved and noted that there have been no reported fatalities. “Yes, we’ve experienced significant damage, but thanks to our efforts, thousands of homes were protected and many lives were spared.
We’ve made some errors along the way, but we’ll learn from them,” he shared during a community meeting on Sunday night.
Gardner highlighted that about 30,000 residents live in the areas affected by the fire, including 7,000 who don’t speak English as their first language, which complicated evacuation efforts.
Jim Fryhoff, Ventura County’s sheriff, added a silver lining: “We were lucky that the fire broke out at 9 AM while it was still light outside. Just think how much worse it could have been if it had started at night when everything was dark and power was out.”
As flames spread last week, many residents had to evacuate quickly. Jamie Randall and her husband grabbed just two suitcases from their home in Camarillo before fleeing.
When they came back later in the week, they were heartbroken to find only charred remnants of what used to be their home.
Terrie Morin recounted her frantic escape with her husband and friends: “We just yelled ‘Get the dog! We need to leave!’ There wasn’t time for anything else.” They managed to take only a few essentials while navigating through thick smoke.
Now that the community is dealing with this loss, families are facing tough times ahead. Stan Jensen and Dawn DaMart were over 1,000 miles away when they saw their Camarillo home go up in flames on TV news reports. “We had someone remodeling our house call us and say he didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news—but your house is burning down,” DaMart recalled sadly.
To help residents start rebuilding their lives after this disaster, a meeting is set for Wednesday where locals can connect with service providers for recovery support. Meanwhile, agricultural experts assessing damage to farms with avocados, citrus fruits, and berries estimate losses exceeding $6 million already! Korinne Bell, County Agricultural Commissioner said on Monday that they’ve only surveyed about a quarter of what’s affected so far—and total losses are likely to increase.
As things continue to unfold here in California’s fire-stricken areas, everyone is encouraged to stay updated and ready for any changes ahead.