New Jersey Forest Fire Service crews patrolling wildfire sites as risk stays high

As the backburn continues, New Jersey residents will still see and smell plenty of smoke. Health officials urge residents to be cautious while outdoors.

Tom Krosnowski

Nov 16, 2024, 3:23 AM

Updated 26 days ago

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There is less of a presence from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service in West Milford, Pompton Lakes and other sites of major wildfires in the last week. But that doesn’t mean that crews - or residents - are letting their guard down.
Pompton Lakes fire crews returned to the scene of their wildfire one week later on Friday night for a reported hotspot. Things were controlled within an hour, thanks to the watchful eye of a local girl who was rollerblading.
“I saw a bunch of smoke, it was coming up, and I was like, ‘Dad, there's smoke over there!” said Kennedy Cataldo. “And he's like, ‘Where?’ I was like ‘Straight ahead!’ And he's like, ‘Oh my God!’ And then he called the fire department, and they came.”
“I’m definitely proud of her,” said Evan Cataldo, her father.
With the state’s biggest fire - in West Milford - now 90% contained, some state crews have left the area. The state Forest Fire Service will remain on patrol to check for hot spots.
As the backburn continues in New York, New Jersey residents will still see and smell plenty of smoke. That was the case Friday morning in Essex and Hudson counties.
“I think a regular mask is OK,” said Dr. Eric Costanzo, a pulmonologist at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center. “When the smoke is heavy and the air quality is poor, it's just best to stay inside.”
He says the smoke isn’t just a risk for those with lung conditions.
“I think exercising outside does pose a risk when the air quality is poor, right?” Costanzo said. “You're breathing faster, you're breathing deeper, and you're getting more particulate matter into the lungs, which can cause inflammation. You run the risk of something called Reactive Airways Disease, which is like asthma, and it does persist.”
With a Red Flag Warning in effect Saturday, the best way to keep these fires from reigniting is by following local burn bans.