Crews have been tirelessly working to extinguish several wildfires that have erupted in the Northeast amid the record-dry conditions. Fire Weather Warnings and Air Quality Alerts remain in effect, and at least one first responder from New York has been killed while working to get control of the infernos.
New Jersey firefighters are working to protect homes and a historic landmark where iron for the country’s first soldiers was made dating back to the Revolutionary War.
According to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, the Jennings Creek Wildfire started in West Milford, New Jersey, and is threatening 25 structures, including eight structures in the Long Pond Ironworks Historic District.
Over the past two months, New Jersey and much of the Northeast have been plagued by drought, dry leaves and low humidity, which has led to wildfires across the region. On Sunday, New Jersey and New York received the first measurable rain in weeks.
Despite the roughly quarter-inch of rain that fell across the area overnight into Monday, fire crews are back on the scene working to build containment lines for the 3,000-acre fire, including protecting Long Pond Ironworks, which backs up to the New Jersey-New York state line in Hewitt, New Jersey.
Long Pond Ironworks was founded in 1766. The founders built a dam at Long Pond, now called Greenwood Lake, to provide power to the furnace.
Last week, a New York State Parks employee was killed while battling the Jennings Creek Wildfire in Greenwood Lake, according to New York State Police.
Smoke and flames rise as wildfire burns and spreads on a mountain in West Milford, New Jersey, United States on November 9, 2024. Large flames have overtaken the mountain and more than 2000 acres have burned. (Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Today, the 175-acre Historic District site is home to the remains of the village and furnaces at Long Pond that produced iron for the American forces during the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and for the Union Army during the Civil War, according to the Friends of Long Pond Ironworks.
Long Pond has been a New Jersey State Park since 1987 and is a National Historic Landmark.
Long Pond Ironworks Historic Site Trails and Visitor Center were closed on Monday due to the ongoing wildfires. All trails on Tranquility Ridge are also closed.
According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the Jennings Creek Wildfire has prompted closures north of Greenwood Lake Turnpike and east of Awosting Road, as well as all areas of Ringwood State Park.