For my earlier reports on the Jennings Creek Wildfire see these posts:
November 12, 9 AM
No changes in the numbers for the Jennings Creek Wildfire from the NJ Forest Fire Service's morning update on Facebook (shared below). As of 9 AM the Jennings Creek Wildfire has burned 3,500 acres and is 20 percent contained. In response to questions in their morning update on Facebook about the acres burned by the Jennings Creek Wildfire, the NJ Forest Fire Service said
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service anticipates that the Jennings Creek Wildfire will grow to at least 5,000 acres before reaching 100% containment. However, the most recent mapping conducted by the New Jersey Forest Fire Service indicates the fire currently spans 3,500 acres in both New Jersey and New York. Rainfall slowed the fire’s growth overnight from Sunday, Nov. 10, into Monday, Nov. 11. As forest fuels dry out and the main body of the fire continues to spread, and the Forest Fire Service conducts burnout operations to aid containment, the fire’s size is expected to increase.
Red Flag Warnings are in effect for the fire area, Orange County NY and Passaic County NJ until 6 PM on November 12th. Road and trail closures continue and 10 structures are threatened in New Jersey, 2 are residences. I do not know if the 14 structures 0n the NY side of the wildfire remain threatened. Helicopters with buckets continue to work the fire as long as winds today will allow.
November 11, 7 PM
You may want to go to my November 10th post on this wildfire where I made three entries with November 10th updates and a fourth entry for the November 11th morning update
Direct link to video from CBS New York on YouTube
Before I discuss this evenings update from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, I want to comment that I listened to two videos of two press conferences with officials overseeing this fire, both are from CBS New York, an 18 minute video of a press conference with NY officials and an 11 minute video with NJ officials, both occurred today, November 11th. I noted that the NY official said that they had done aerial reconnaissance this morning mapping the fire at 5,000 acres in both states. The NJ official had not yet discussed the aerial reconnaissance and could not address the question of the New York official saying the wildfire had burned 5,000 acres, he was sticking to the 3,000 acre figure. Note that the media is reporting the 5,000 acres burned figure. The NJ official said that because of difficulty accessing the rough terrain where the fire is burning that they were not sure where the fire started, this is different from what I reported in my 7 PM update. I will speculate is that it is still too early since the fire started to know these details for sure. In following wildfires for years, I do know that fire size can vary as they get better mapping and the like. As they say, more will be revealed.
Looking at the 7PM update from the NJ Forest Fire Service on Facebook (embedded below) at least 3,500 acres have burned (up from 3,000 acres earlier this morning) and containment has increased to 20 percent. Ten structures in New Jersey are threatened with no evacuations. There are local road closures. I am uncertain about the status 14 threatened structures in New York referred to in earlier updates. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Forest Protection and Fire Management are in unified command, meaning that both states work together and coordinate their efforts. There are a few helicopters with buckets, one from New Jersey with a 350 gallon bucket, working this fire in support of the crews on the ground. Local fire departments from both states are also onsite.
All my other posts on the Jennings Creek Wildfire
