Jennings Creek wildfire prompts evacuations in New York

GREENWOOD LAKE, N.Y. — Over 100 New York families were asked to evacuate due to the Jennings Creek wildfire, which has been burning from Orange County to West Milford, New Jersey for over a week. 
According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, winds caused the fire to jump a containment line Saturday evening.
Residents of over 160 homes near Edgemere Avenue and Wah Ta Wah Park in Warwick were asked to voluntarily evacuate to a shelter at Greenwood Lake Middle School.
“We got home, packed up just like the essentials, everything that we had in the safe, like important papers, and then we came here. We took all the cars, parked here. Got here a little after midnight I think, and then they had cots set up inside and everyone was super helpful,” said Viktoria Kall, whose parents live in Greenwood Lake.    
First responders started picking residents up in buses after firefighters spent the day expanding the burn line to try to keep the fire under control and dropping 900 gallons of water from helicopters.  
Residents started returning to their homes Sunday morning, but officials said the voluntary evacuations will continue until at least Monday.
A Red Flag Warning was in place across the entire Tri-State Area for much of the day due to high winds and the ongoing dry conditions.  
According to a DEC official, “The voluntary evacuations were put in place to allow emergency apparatus and firefighters to operate uninterrupted.” They say the fire has stayed primarily within the boundaries of Sterling Forest State Park, but crews do not want to jeopardize anyone’s safety.
The DEC said the fire expanded by 4-5 acres, but the flames have not reached the contingency line and no structures are in danger at this time.
Residents can stay up to date on developments on the New York State Park Police Facebook page.
Earlier Saturday, Greenwood Lake residents cheered and held signs as firefighters and emergency responders drove past to thank them for their efforts battling the enormous wildfire over the past week.
The Jennings Creek wildfire started on Nov. 8 and has burned over 5,000 acres across New York and New Jersey. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
The NYS DEC said Friday night that the fire was 88% contained.
There has been one death in connection to the fire; an 18-year-old New York State Parks aide was killed on Nov. 9 while assisting at the fire scene. Officials say he was struck by a falling tree.

Jessi Mitchell,

Zinnia Maldonado and

Mark Prussin

contributed to this report.