61°
The blaze, which was beaten back at first but then grew steadily over the previous 48 hours, finally topped out at 972 acres on April 15 – and that was it, the service said.
Fire officials also said this would be the last of the updates from the “Kanouse Wildfire," the largest blaze in North Jersey since 2010.
Ten structures in all were threatened – half of which were evacuated – yet none were seriously damaged thanks to the support of fire companies from Passaic and Morris counties, the NJFFS said.
No injuries were reported, either.
Dead and weakened trees along the roadway kept Echo Lake Road closed between Route 23 and Macopin Road, fire service officials said.
Folks will have to contend with smoke north and east of the fire – at least until some rain wets it down, they said.
Meanwhile, FFS staff remains on scene “improving containment lines and monitoring the area to ensure public safety.”
The cause remains under investigation.
Wildfires are common this time of year, which has kept firefighters on alert. Low humidity, strong winds and dry ground comprise the toxic cocktail. All that's needed is one negligent person to toss a cigarette or fail to fully douse a fire pit.
The West Milford blaze ignited off Route 23 near the Charlotteburg Reservoir Wednesday afternoon. NJFF Service helicopters began scooping and then dropping water soon after and firefighters from various departments on both sides of the state line began pouring in.
The fire had swelled to 250 acres before noon on Thursday. At that point, the service had kept the fire from jumping south of Echo Lake Road with a backfire on the north side.
Things changed only a few hours later when the second fire erupted.
It was nearing midnight Friday when the service confirmed that efforts to contain the blaze had dropped to 25% containment (from 40% earlier in the day) after another fire ignited on the protected side of Echo Lake Road.
By dusk, the fire had swelled to more than a square mile.
The wind had also changed and now the fire was threatening a nursing home with 104 residents, said Don Cavallo, Passaic County's OEM/EMS coordinator.
A squadron of ambulances were stationed at West Milford High School just in case, but firefighters kept the flames from spreading and an evacuation wasn't necessary, Cavallo said.
The unseasonably high temperatures and steep, rocky terrain made the firefighting efforts much more difficult than it would be in, say, the Pine Barrens, veteran smoke eaters said.
Firefighters had to use ATVs and smaller trucks where engines couldn't go and then hand tools to create fire lines before bulldozers could do their part.
While the Forest Fire Service handled most of that task, local firefighters protected area structures.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Saddle Brook-Elmwood Park and receive free news updates.
