Voluntary evacuation issued for 130 families as Jennings Creek Fire jumps containment line

Officials asked 130 families in Orange County, N.Y., to evacuate to a shelter as a precaution after the nearly-contained Jennings Creek Fire jumped a containment line.

The move Saturday gave firefighters maneuvering room for the heavy equipment needed to combat the blaze straddling the New York-New Jersey border. The fire has been smoldering for days, and by Sunday morning had burned 5,207 acres and was 88% contained, the New York State Park Police said.

“The voluntary evacuations were put in place to allow emergency apparatus and firefighters to operate uninterrupted,” the park police said in an update at 10:30 p.m. Saturday. “While the fire breached a containment line, it has not reached the contingency line, and no structures are in danger.”

The jump only expanded the fire by four or five acres, and firefighters were staged along the contingency line and elsewhere “to extinguish any hot spots,” officials said. “Efforts overnight to protect structures were successful, and no structures are in danger.”

The fire, located mostly in Sterling Forest State Park, “is boxed in by fire lines,” the police added on Sunday. “The voluntary evacuation remains in place at least until tomorrow to allow for continued firefighting efforts.”

A burn ban is also in effect throughout New York State due to ongoing dry, drought-like conditions. The National Weather Service issued a special weather statement warning of an elevated risk for fire spread on Monday.

“The combination of prolonged dry weather, west to northwest winds of 10 to 15 mph with gusts 20 to 35 mph, relative humidity values between 35% and 50% and dry fuels will contribute to an elevated risk of fire spread Sunday for portions of eastern New York, including the eastern Catskills, Capital District, Mid-Hudson Valley, and the Taconics,” the NWS said. “An emergency statewide burn ban is in effect until November 30th for New York. No burn permits will be issued at this time. Use extra caution if handling any potential ignition sources, such as machinery or matches, and ensure to properly extinguish or dispose cigarette butts.”

The conditions were in effect not only in the Hudson Valley and New Jersey but also extended to Westchester County, Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Nassau and Suffolk on Long Island. Southern Connecticut was also affected.