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FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN: 75% Of Blaze Contained, Operations Again Paused Overnight FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN: 75% Of Blaze Contained, Operations Again Paused Overnight
Fire ON THE Mountain: 75% Of Blaze Contained, Operations Again Paused Overnight UPDATE: Crews got 75% of a Ramapo Mountains wildfire doused before breaking again until morning. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service initially estimated that the wildfire covered 50 acres. They revised that figure to 40 acres late Thursday afternoon, April 21. It took several hours to contain roughly half the blaze after it broke out around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in Mahwah off Bear Swamp Road in the Ramapo Valley County Reservation, north of Camp Glen Gray, and quickly spread. Another quarter was knocked down on Thursday as crews built and reinforced containment lines. No injuries were repor…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Big Brush Fire At Bergen-Rockland Border Threatens Home Big Brush Fire At Bergen-Rockland Border Threatens Home
Big Brush Fire At Bergen-Rockland Border Threatens Home A brush fire along the Bergen/Rockland border temporarily closed the Ramapo Reservation after sending a column of smoke skyward that could be seen in Westchester. A live wire smoldering on a tree apparently ignited the blaze on Brandt Road in the Ramapo Mountains in Hillburn, bringing firefighters from both counties, shortly before 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 15. Of immediate concern was the non-profit Tevaland animal sanctuary on the New York side, as well as a home on Split Rock Road in Mahwah with propane tanks. Neither was damaged, responders said. "We are grateful to all the firefighters…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Jersey Shore Wildland Arson Investigation 'At An Impasse,' Prosecutor Says Jersey Shore Wildland Arson Investigation 'At An Impasse,' Prosecutor Says
Jersey Shore Wildland Arson Investigation 'At An Impasse,' Prosecutor Says Authorities from the Jersey Shore say they have been unable to identify those responsible for setting a suspicious wildfire last month. The fire consumed 167 acres of land in Brick and Lakewood in March, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. A business was destroyed and hundreds of area residents had to be evacuated, Billhimer said.  A firefighter suffered a heart attack while battling the blaze, which jumped over the Garden State Parkway, he said.  Fire officials identified the fire’s origin "along with our conclusion that the fire was intentiona…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
PHOTOS: Firefighters Battle South Jersey Forest Fire That Scorched 1,000 Acres For 17+ Hours PHOTOS: Firefighters Battle South Jersey Forest Fire That Scorched 1,000 Acres For 17+ Hours
Photos: Firefighters Battle South Jersey Forest Fire That Scorched 1,000 Acres For 17+ Hours Firefighters with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service were joined by numerous local fire departments battling a massive blaze that has already consumed 1,000 acres of land in South Jersey.  The raging wildfire started at Bass River State Forest in Little Egg Harbor Township about 4 p.m. on Sunday. Yesterday at approximately 1659, Station 46 was deployed to Little Egg Harbor for a forest fire as part of the Zone 2... Posted by Ship Bottom Volunteer Fire Co. on Monday, May 17, 2021 The Ocean County Sheriff's Office estimated that the fire had already scorched more than 1,000 acres of fore…

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by Jon Craig
Obituaries
NJ Native, 39, Dies Hiking National Forest In Arizona NJ Native, 39, Dies Hiking National Forest In Arizona
NJ Native, 39, Dies Hiking National Forest In Arizona A New Jersey native died while hiking in a national forest. Michael Benedetto La Marca, 39, was hiking at Peralta Trailhead in Arizona's Tonto National Forest when he died Oct. 3, according to his obituary. More than 14,000 acres of the forest he died in was consumed by wildfire on the day of his death, according to  the U.S. Forest Service. Circumstances around La Marca's death, however, were not made public, Born in Clinton, La Marca graduated from North Hunterdon Regional High School in 1999. La Marca had been living in Phoenix and working as the Director of Solar …

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by Valerie Musson
Police & Fire
Authorities Admit Wrongly Identifying Pair As Arsonists, Fire Investigation Continues Authorities Admit Wrongly Identifying Pair As Arsonists, Fire Investigation Continues
Authorities Admit Wrongly Identifying Pair As Arsonists, Fire Investigation Continues Authorities said they wrongly identified a pair of individuals as suspects in last weekend's Delaware Water Gap fire after posting photos of them to their Facebook page Thursday. The investigation into the Mount Tammany blaze, which took firefighters several days to extinguish, was continuing, they said. Photos of two people who authorities at first said they thought were responsible were posted Thursday to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area's Facebook page. The post was later removed, and the park issued a statement saying the individuals were identified and weren't involved…

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by Cecilia Levine