New Jersey WildFires rage across 20,000 acres of land. Officials say this has been going on since October 1, that they have been answering wildfire calls.
Why is This Happening?
The main cause of these fires is a combination between certain weather conditions and humans making careless mistakes.
When the weather is very dry and there is a drought, the ignition of a fire is very likely. Another big role weather plays is when it is windy outside because with wind, the constant supply of oxygen is fueling the fire and the fire will just grow bigger, engulfing even more things. “Wind gusts of up to 35 mph and humidity levels between 30% and 40% “will support the spread of any fires that ignite,” forecasters in New York said in a Special Weather Statement Monday afternoon.” It is really hard to contain the fire under the weather conditions and is only 20% contained currently.
The Damage
The fire has raged all over New Jersey and has crossed over into the state of New York, while burning roughly 20,000 acres in the process. People near the burning have been affected with at least 207 homes and other structures damaged with 6 civilians hurt and harmed from the fire. However not only civilians have been harmed from the fire, with a fighter in action dying trying to put out the progressive burn. The 18 year old boy died on Sunday afternoon as a tree had fallen on him when battling brush that was on fire. In response a post was sent out from the New York State Forestry saying “Rip brother your shift is over job well done,” commending the young boy who has died.
A picture of the fire blazing through New Jersey.
How to prevent
Prevention of Wildfires can be summed up very simply. Be more careful and mindful with your actions all of the time but especially during dry, drought conditions. This is due to any spark that can catch a flame and will keep progressively getting bigger. New York Gov. Kathy Hodul says
“What that means is completely avoid outdoor burning, don’t leave any campfires … unattended, don’t have them, exercise extreme caution with outdoor grills and report fires immediately,”. This is in response to the burn ban that was put in effect to prevent wildfires.
Wildfires have created a lot of damage under these conditions and are trying to be contained, but without following the wildfire prevention recommendations it is hard to stop this mass destruction.
