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Wildfires

Police & Fire
Dangerous Air Quality Levels Reported, New 1,800-Acre Wildfire Burns In West Milford Dangerous Air Quality Levels Reported, New 1,800-Acre Wildfire Burns In West Milford
Dangerous Air Quality Levels Reported, New 1,800-Acre Wildfire Burns In West Milford Three active wildfires in New Jersey are keeping firefighters busy this weekend as the air quality continues to worsen. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service is working to contain fires in West Milford, Pompton Lakes, and Englewood Cliffs (scroll for details on each one). AirNow.gov shows an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 171, or unhealthy, across North Jersey, as of 7:30 p.m., caused by the smoke that blanketed the region. Click here to see an active AQI map or click here to check your town's AQI. Prolonged dry conditions, unseasonably warm temperatures, and strong winds have contribut…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Brush Fire Ravages 19 Acres On Palisades: Firefighters Battle Blaze Amid Statewide Restrictions Brush Fire Ravages 19 Acres On Palisades: Firefighters Battle Blaze Amid Statewide Restrictions
Brush Fire Ravages 19 Acres On Palisades: Firefighters Battle Blaze Amid Statewide Restrictions Firefighters are battling a 19-acre brush fire that erupted Thursday night, Nov. 7, on the cliffs of the Palisades Interstate Park.  Visible from across the Hudson River, the blaze has turned the scenic cliffs into an intense battle zone, with flames licking at the steep, rocky terrain and sending plumes of smoke billowing into the evening sky. The fire, fueled by dry brush and challenging cliffside conditions, remains only 30% contained as of Friday morning, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. Crews from Fort Lee, Englewood, Ridgefield, Leonia, Edgewater, and more have jo…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Arsonist Charged With Starting Bergen County Brush Fire During Critical Time Arsonist Charged With Starting Bergen County Brush Fire During Critical Time
Arsonist Charged With Starting Bergen County Brush Fire During Critical Time A 27-year-old man has been arrested on accusations he started a brush fire over the weekend while the state was under a Stage 3 fire restriction in Lyndhurst, police said. Officers were called to the 600 block of Fourth Street on reports of a small brush fire around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, Lyndhurst Police Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said. The fire had already been extinguished by a local resident, but a witness said he saw a man start the blaze before walking away, Auteri said. The witness provided a detailed description of the suspect, whom responding officers were able t…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Wildfire Consumed 35 Acres In Pine Barrens Forest, Elevated Risk Across NJ Reported Wildfire Consumed 35 Acres In Pine Barrens Forest, Elevated Risk Across NJ Reported
Wildfire Consumed 35 Acres In Pine Barrens Forest, Elevated Risk Across NJ Reported Firefighters were battling a second wildfire in Burlington County in less than a week, officials said. Crews responded to the "multi-acre" fire near Mary Ann Forge Road in the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest in Pemberton Township on Wednesday, Oct. 16, the state Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) said in a Facebook post. Officials said the fire had consumed 35 acres but had been 60 percent contained. No evacuations have been issued, no buildings were threatened, and no roads were closed by the wildfire. "Breezy winds with occasional gusts near 20 mph, relative humidity values n…

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by Chris Spiker
News
Blue Supermoon: What You Need To Know About Rare Lunar Event Blue Supermoon: What You Need To Know About Rare Lunar Event
Blue Supermoon: What You Need To Know About Rare Lunar Event There's an out-of-this-world lunar event set to begin this week.  From Monday, Aug. 19, through Wednesday, Aug. 21, the moon will appear bigger and brighter in the night sky than normal. It's called the supermoon. It's the first one of the year, but that's not why this one is special.  A supermoon occurs when the moon is full and closest to Earth in its orbit, according to NASA. That closeness makes the rocky satellite appear 15 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter.  What makes August's supermoon so unique is that it's a blue moon. No, the light of the moon won't change co…

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by Josh Lanier
Weather
Smoky Skies To Stay For Summer? Forecasters Say More Hazy Days Are Ahead Smoky Skies To Stay For Summer? Forecasters Say More Hazy Days Are Ahead
Smoky Skies To Stay For Summer? Forecasters Say More Hazy Days Are Ahead The July 4th weekend has arrived, but chances are the smell of smoke outside isn't coming from barbecues — and according to forecasters, there's even more ahead. The air quality on Saturday, July 1 was slightly better than it was earlier in the week, with AQIs average in the 120s and code orange and yellows issued — as opposed to purple and red — across the region. Slowly, slowly, the smoke was starting to disperse. However, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson is confident, it will be back. "I do believe this will go down as the summer of smoke and haze for much of Canada and …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
IN CONTROL: North Jersey Wildfire 100% Contained, Threat Is Gone, Officials Say IN CONTROL: North Jersey Wildfire 100% Contained, Threat Is Gone, Officials Say
IN Control: North Jersey Wildfire 100% Contained, Threat Is Gone, Officials Say UPDATE: The wildfire that marched through West Milford the past three days is 100% contained, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported on Saturday. 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…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
FINITO: North Jersey Wildfire 100% Contained, Threat Is Over, Officials Say FINITO: North Jersey Wildfire 100% Contained, Threat Is Over, Officials Say
Finito: North Jersey Wildfire 100% Contained, Threat Is Over, Officials Say The worst is over: The wildfire that marched through West Milford the past three days is 100% contained, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported on Saturday. 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 supp…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
GREAT NEWS: North Jersey Wildfire 100% Contained, Authorities Report GREAT NEWS: North Jersey Wildfire 100% Contained, Authorities Report
Great NEWS: North Jersey Wildfire 100% Contained, Authorities Report UPDATE: The worst is over: The wildfire that marched through West Milford the past three days is 100% contained, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported on Saturday. 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 …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
HEROES: Firefighters Keep Large Bergen Brush Blaze From Reaching Homes HEROES: Firefighters Keep Large Bergen Brush Blaze From Reaching Homes
Heroes: Firefighters Keep Large Bergen Brush Blaze From Reaching Homes A firefighter was treated for chest pains during a large brush fire that spread perilously close to homes near the Teaneck section of Overpeck Park. "It's raining ashes," resident Kelly Bacon Fousse said after the fire ignited in the area south of Degraw Avenue between Route 95 and Teaneck Road around 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 11. Dry, windy conditions spread the five-alarmer, which brought more than a dozen other area departments to Teaneck to assist, Township Manager Dean Kazinci told Daily Voice. One firefighter was taken to Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, he said. Although what was …

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by Jerry DeMarco & Cecilia Levine
Weather
COVID, Murder Hornets, What's Next? Try Fire Tornadoes COVID, Murder Hornets, What's Next? Try Fire Tornadoes
COVID, Murder Hornets, What's Next? Try Fire Tornadoes Fear factorists were having a field day with the latest threat to civilization: fire tornadoes. Given all that's been unleashed in the world lately, the fiery funnels that rose from northern California wildfires over the weekend were guaranteed to generate headlines. But like the so-called murder hornets that fear mongers foisted on folks earlier this year, flaming twisters remain nearly 3,000 miles from the Northeast -- and extremely rare. A wildfire that began last Friday near Loyalton, CA -- about 45 miles west of Reno, Nevada -- “exploded most impressively” on Saturday “with a ver…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Weather
Gov’t Report: Climate Change Will Cost U.S. Lives, Hundreds Of Billions Of Dollars Gov’t Report: Climate Change Will Cost U.S. Lives, Hundreds Of Billions Of Dollars
Gov’t Report: Climate Change Will Cost U.S. Lives, Hundreds Of Billions Of Dollars Climate change isn’t just happening – it’s going to get much worse, warns a massive government report that proposes solutions that are severely at odds with President Trump’s policies. Extreme weather, changes in air quality and the spread of new diseases by insects will combine to cost the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars in health, agricultural and infrastructure damage by the end of the century, warns Volume II of the National Climate Assessment, which was released Friday. "Earth’s climate is now changing faster than at any point in the history of modern civilization, primar…

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by Jerry DeMarco