Wildfires continue to burn around the tri-state as red flag warnings remain and drought conditions persist. The fires are leading to smoky skies and diminished air quality.
Nearly a half-dozen wildfires are burning in New Jersey and red flag warnings cover the tri-state area, from the Garden State to New York City to Fairfield County, Connecticut, Saturday, two days after the U.S. Drought Monitor released ever-worsening news. The tri-state area is withering in a prolonged and increasingly extreme drought situation.
The worsening smoke conditions triggered an air quality health advisory for New York City, as well as Rockland and Westchester counties. By Saturday evening, the air quality had spiked to "very unhealthy" levels. Check your air quality here.
Anyone with heart or lung disease, older adults and young children are advised to avoid outdoor exposure. Everyone else is encouraged to limit outdoor activities or keep them short.
The city's advisory is set to last until Sunday.
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Firefighters were able to gain control of a two-acre brushfire in Prospect Park in Brooklyn Friday night that threatened to spread in a heavily dense area of the park, but fortunately, a parkgoer spotted the flames and called the FDNY.
Local
The FDNY said its crews had the fire under control around 9:40 p.m., just three hours after the first 911 call was received. One firefighter reported a minor injury and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
"The fire's under control, and there are some hotter spots," FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker said at a news conference.
It was not immediately clear what sparked Friday evening's fire, which broke out near Flatbush Avenue at the popular Brooklyn park.
On the heels of the park fire, Mayor Eric Adams announced a ban on all grilling in city parks while the city remains in drought conditions.
“Effective immediately, we are prohibiting grilling in our parks, and we need all New Yorkers to take commonsense steps to prevent brush fires," Adams said Saturday.
Where are fires currently burning?
As of Saturday morning, these are some of the areas with active wildfires:
- Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey (Bergen County)
- Pompton Lakes, New Jersey (Passaic County)
- Jackson Township, New Jersey (Ocean County)
- Riverhead, New York (Suffolk County)
- Evesham and Voorhees townships, New Jersey (Burlington and Camden Counties)
- Glassboro, New Jersey (Gloucester County)
Fire danger reaches extreme levels for New Jersey, NYC, Long Island
Red flag warnings are once again in place for NYC and much of the tri-state on Saturday. New York City, Long Island, northern New Jersey, Westchester County in New York and Fairfield County in Connecticut all are under an extreme fire danger this weekend.
Red flag warnings continue as a result of the gusty winds, low humidity and dry brush.
The red flag warning in New Jersey is in place until at least 6 p.m. Saturday.
During these extreme fire conditions, residents should not use outdoor grills or fire pits, or burn any campfires or other fires outdoors.
Air quality falls in New York City area
The smoke in the air is being trapped in the atmosphere and is not going anywhere, according to Storm Team 4's Raphael Miranda. The trapped smoke is leading to lower air quality levels.
Air quality has decreased to "moderate" levels for the immediate New York City area, with some hot zones near fires falling to "unhealthy for sensitive groups."
As of Saturday morning, Brooklyn has some of the worst air quality in the area as a result of the smoke lingering in the air. Hudson and Passaic counties in New Jersey are also dealing with air quality issues.
People should use caution when outside if they smell smoke and limit outdoor exercise, like running, until air quality improves.
This fall is now the driest fall-to-date with only 1.59 inches of rain in Central Park since Sept. 1.
When will it all improve?
The air quality is forecast to improve throughout the day on Saturday.
Rain will finally arrive on Sunday and Thursday, but only up to an inch of rain is expected, which will help, but is still a long way from our normal rainfall amounts and will not get us out of these drought conditions.
