Wildfire consumes 160 acres of land in West Milford
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service is on the ground, working to put out the flames.
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A wildfire in West Milford has burned 160 acres of land.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service is on the ground, working to put out the flames. The agency says that so far, the fire is 40% contained.
Firefighters are working on containment lines within the rocky terrain of the Newark Watershed.
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Those firefighters have been getting help from favorable winds, as well as a helicopter that has been dropping 325 gallons of water at a time from its bucket.
A Huey helicopter has been taking water from the Clinton Reservoir, which is showing very low water levels.
West Milford hasn’t seen any rain since Aug. 22, when a storm dropped 1.2 inches. Since then, that part of Passaic County has been experiencing severely dry conditions, which have dried the forest floor and fueled the fire.
“The leaf litter and debris on the ground is from last year’s leaf drop, so those fuels have been sitting there all winter and all summer,” said Tyler Niedergall, with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
So far, the fire is not threatening any homes or businesses. Clinton Road is closed between Goldfinch Lane and Van Orden Road.
The fire started in an area generally only accessed by hikers or hunters.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
