Officials: Essex County wildfire 90% contained, under control
Crews controlled the blaze by fighting fire with fire - a controlled burn to wipe out more of the fire’s potential “fuel”-- dead trees.
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First responders made significant progress Sunday in the ongoing wildfire that began Saturday in Essex County.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service said the blaze was 90% contained as of Sunday night with 192 acres impacted.
No injuries have been reported and no businesses or homes are threatened.
Saturday afternoon, nearby shopping malls became ghost towns - forced to evacuate as smoke raged. Twenty-four hours later, it was business as usual.
“It was scary in the beginning,” said Livingston Mayor Al Anthony. “It was orange flames and everything. I guess anything could happen, I did not have wildfire on my radar. Eternal gratitude to everyone who came.”
Crews controlled the blaze by fighting fire with fire - a controlled burn to wipe out more of the fire’s potential “fuel”-- dead trees.
The Livingston fire chief says the Department of Public Works crews brought in bulldozers to move trees and pave paths for the fire trucks to get to hard-to-reach spots.
On Sunday night, there was still a large smoke cloud and small visible flames, but most of the dozens of crews who came to help had packed up.
Residents can expect to see and smell the smoke until significant rainfall, which could take weeks.
“I would keep the windows closed, air conditioner on,” Anthony said. “It's not a chemical fire, they've told me. So, it's not toxins or anything.”
The cause of the fire was still not known as of Sunday night.
Fire crews said recent drought conditions are making the firefighting effort challenging.
"These are kind of unprecedented fire danger conditions that we're experiencing now," said Eric Weber, of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
You can find New Jersey’s latest fire restrictions here.
News 12 Reporter Amanda Eustice's Sunday evening report on the Essex County wildfire.
