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Fire officials say they've stopped the spread of a deadly wildfire burning in rugged terrain on the New York-New Jersey border. But they also say growing drought worsened by climate change is sparking wildfires and water shortages across much of the northeastern U.S. NPR's Brian Mann reports.
BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: Over the last 24 hours, officials say fire lines surrounding the Jennings Creek blaze northwest of New York City held, despite dry conditions and 35-mile-an-hour winds. More than 300 firefighters, including National Guard crews and helicopters, are battling the 5,000-acre wildfire in steep hillsides and dense forests. Speaking today, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy praised fire crews, but he described his entire state as a powder keg.
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PHIL MURPHY: And the numbers are frankly staggering. Since early October, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service has responded to 537 fires.
MANN: That's a huge increase from just a few dozen blazes last autumn, with Massachusetts and New York also seeing a surge in brush and wildfires. Samantha Borisoff is a climatologist with the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University. She says unprecedented drought conditions are hitting much of the East.
SAMANTHA BORISOFF: It's just unfortunately a recipe for wildfires to start, to burn deeper, to burn longer, be harder to put out.
MANN: Borisoff pointed to the city of Philadelphia, which saw no rain at all in October.
BORISOFF: It was the first time that they've ever had a month - back, I believe, to 1871 - where they've not had measurable precipitation. So we're talking just, you know, intensely dry.
MANN: These blazes in the East, often started by campfires, the burning of yard waste and other human activity, are smaller than the massive wildfires common in the Western U.S. But experts say they appear to be growing more common and more intense, often burning near densely populated areas, threatening homes and triggering dangerous air quality.
Greg McLaughlin, who heads New Jersey's office of lands and forests, says conditions are so dry this year, wildfires are continuing to burn underground long after they appear extinguished. He described one blaze that's been burning since July.
GREG MCLAUGHLIN: This fire continues to smolder, smoke and burn. And when the opportunity comes for the fire to find an air pocket or perhaps a dead tree, it comes back above ground again.
MANN: Many states across the northeast have banned outdoor burning while this drought continues. Speaking today, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also called for voluntary water conservation and said if the forecast for more dry weather holds, a full-scale emergency could be declared soon.
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MURPHY: This drought could grow even more severe, which may eventually require mandatory water restrictions.
MANN: Murphy also said states in the East will need more resources to prepare for natural disasters like these wildfires because of climate change.
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MURPHY: The reality is the drought that we're currently experiencing is just one example of how a changing climate is impacting our state today - not far off into the future but right now, in the here and now.
MANN: The Jennings Creek fire claimed one life over the weekend. Dariel Vasquez was an 18-year-old crewman with the New York State Parks department. He was cutting a defensive fire line when struck by a falling tree. Randy Simons is New York State Park Commissioner.
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RANDY SIMONS: Truly, our hearts are out to his family. And our parks' peer counseling services were also in the car within hours to meet with the teams who are still dealing with this tragedy themselves.
MANN: Officials say dozens of fire departments around the East are sending crews and equipment to help as this unprecedented wildfire season drags on into winter. Brian Mann, NPR News, New York.
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