Current:Home > reviewsNew wildfires burn in US Northeast while bigger blazes rage out West-LoTradeCoin
New wildfires burn in US Northeast while bigger blazes rage out West
View Date:2025-01-18 12:52:49
New wildfires burned Tuesday across the Northeast, adding to a series of blazes that have come amid very dry weather and killed at least one person, while much larger fires raged in California and other western states.
Heavy smoke led to poor air quality and health advisories for parts of New Jersey and New York, including New York City.
Firefighters in Massachusetts worked to contain dozens of fires amid strong winds and drought conditions. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for much of that state and parts of Connecticut, saying conditions were critical and fires could rapidly spread.
Massachusetts officials said all of the 200 or so fires they had been dealing with this month had been caused by human behavior, and Gov. Maura Healey urged people to avoid lighting fires.
“Now is not the time to burn leaves. Now is not the time to go outside and light a fire,” she told reporters in Middleton.
One fire in southern New Jersey tripped fire alarms and set off carbon monoxide detectors, causing an “unprecedented” number of 911 calls Monday, officials said.
A blaze near the New York-New Jersey border killed a parks employee over the weekend, and some firefighters have been injured battling other blazes.
In order to find and fight many of the fires, crews must navigate a maze of dense forests, country roads, lakes and steep hills. Trees there have dropped most of their leaves onto parched ground, masking potential danger, authorities said.
Most of the East Coast has seen little rainfall since September, and experts say the fires will persist until significant precipitation or frosts occur.
In California, firefighters made further progress against a blaze northwest of Los Angeles, in Ventura County, that broke out Wednesday and quickly exploded in size because of dry, warm and gusty Santa Ana winds. That blaze, dubbed, the Mountain fire, was about half contained Tuesday, nearly a week after breaking out amid dry, gusty winds.
The 32-square-mile (83-square-kilometer) blaze is largely “buttoned up,” county Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said at a news conference Monday evening. The fire forced thousands of residents to flee their homes and destroyed nearly 200 structures, most of them houses, and damaged more than 80, officials said. The cause is under investigation.
——
Associated Press writer Nick Perry contributed to this report from Meredith, New Hampshire, and Christopher Weber contributed from Los Angeles.
veryGood! (9856)
Related
- Will Trump curb transgender rights? After election, community prepares for worst
- Sam Bankman-Fried to be released on $250 million bail into parents' custody
- CVS and Walgreens limit sales of children's meds as the 'tripledemic' drives demand
- Every Time We Applauded North West's Sass
- Cold case arrest: Florida man being held in decades-old Massachusetts double murder
- Warming Trends: Google Earth Shows Climate Change in Action, a History of the World Through Bat Guano and Bike Riding With Monarchs
- Biden’s Climate Plan Embraces Green New Deal, Goes Beyond Obama-Era Ambition
- Everything to Know About the Vampire Breast Lift, the Sister Treatment to the Vampire Facial
- Mother of Man Found Dead in Tanning Bed at Planet Fitness Gym Details His Final Moments
- California Dairy Farmers are Saving Money—and Cutting Methane Emissions—By Feeding Cows Leftovers
Ranking
- Jon Gruden joins Barstool Sports three years after email scandal with NFL
- Interest rates up, but not on your savings account
- Dwyane Wade Weighs In On Debate Over Him and Gabrielle Union Splitting Finances 50/50
- Renewable Energy’s Booming, But Still Falling Far Short of Climate Goals
- 2025 Medicare Part B premium increase outpaces both Social Security COLA and inflation
- Video: Regardless of Results, Kentucky’s Primary Shows Environmental Justice is an Issue for Voters
- With Climate Change Intensifying, Can At-Risk Minority Communities Rely on the Police to Keep Them Safe?
- Step Inside the Pink PJ Party Kim Kardashian Hosted for Daughter North West's 10th Birthday
Recommendation
-
What Republicans are saying about Matt Gaetz’s nomination for attorney general
-
Target recalls weighted blankets after reports of 2 girls suffocating under one
-
Pennsylvania Grand Jury Faults State Officials for Lax Fracking Oversight
-
California Dairy Farmers are Saving Money—and Cutting Methane Emissions—By Feeding Cows Leftovers
-
Wildfire map: Thousands of acres burn near New Jersey-New York border; 1 firefighter dead
-
Biden’s Climate Plan Embraces Green New Deal, Goes Beyond Obama-Era Ambition
-
Inside a Southern Coal Conference: Pep Rallies and Fears of an Industry’s Demise
-
Why Kim Kardashian Is Feuding With Diva of All Divas Kourtney Kardashian