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West Milford Wildfire Swells To 3,500 Acres As Firefighters Battle Fierce Winds
The Jennings Creek Wildfire, now spanning 3,500 acres across Passaic County, NJ, and Orange County, NY, is only 20% contained, with strong winds and low humidity posing continued risks for rapid spread.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service and New York’s Division of Forest Protection and Fire Management are working in unified command to strengthen containment lines in preparation for tomorrow’s forecasted weather.
Firefighters focused efforts Tuesday, Nov. 12 on reinforcing the eastern containment line, using controlled burns to remove unburned pockets of fuel.
Resources deployed…
Rental Home Owners Dodge Jail After NY Fire That Killed 2 Sisters
A husband and wife will avoid jail after admitting fault in a fire at their New York vacation rental that killed two sisters.
On Long Island, Peter Miller, age 56, and Pamela Miller, age 55, were each sentenced to community service in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, Nov. 7, in the deaths of Lindsay and Jillian Wiener, CBS New York reports.
The 19-year-old Lindsay and 21-year-old Jillian, both of Potomac, Maryland, were vacationing with their brother and parents at the Millers’ Noyac home when the blaze broke out on the morning of Aug. 3, 2022.
Earlier Report: Sisters On Vacation K…
Woman Admits Setting Fire To Hudson Valley Home With Daughter, Grandchildren Inside, DA Says
A woman has pleaded guilty to attempted arson in connection with intentionally setting fire to a Hudson Valley home with her and her grandchildren inside.
Niagara County resident Itita Washington-Thompson, age 48, of Niagara, made the plea on Monday, Sept. 16, said Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi.
Parisi said: "This case is a chilling example of how a domestic incident or dispute can escalate to dangerous extremes."
The incident occurred on Friday, May 24, at Hammersley Avenue in Poughkeepsie.
According to officials and court documents, Washington-Thompson…
Fatal Fire: 2 Escape Jail After Blaze Claiming Lives Of Hudson Valley Firefighter, Other Man
Two rabbis who pleaded guilty to a fatal fire at an adult home in the Hudson Valley have escaped jail time through a plea deal.
Rockland County residents Nathaniel Sommer, age 72, of Monsey, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, June 20 to two counts of second-degree manslaughter and is expected to be sentenced to five years probation, said Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh.
His son, Aaron Sommer, age 29, also of Monsey, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree reckless endangerment, which carries a sentence of three years probation, Walsh added.
The fire, which took place around…
Firefighters Snuff Out Chimney Fire In Northern Westchester, Warn About Keeping Them Clean
A chimney fire in Northern Westchester serves as an example of what happens when a chimney is kept unclean, according to one fire department.
On Friday, Nov. 25, around 5:30 p.m., firefighters responded to a reported chimney fire at a home in Somers on Primrose Street, according to the Somers Volunteer Fire Department.
After arriving at the residence, firefighters found embers coming out of the chimney, accompanied by a "strange noise," fire officials said.
Firefighters then removed burning material from the home's firebox, and put their "chimney snuffer" into operation, …