New Jersey Wildfire Is Largest In Two Decades
A massive wildfire about 100 miles south of New York City has burned 12,000 acres and is only 35% contained. The last wildfire of this size was in 2007.
State forest fire warden Trevor Raynor commented to Bloomberg, “It’s pretty extreme conditions now. It doesn’t get any worse than this.” Electricity to about 20,000 homes has been cut off.
April is early for wildfires in the eastern U.S., and temperatures are not particularly high. They have averaged 70 degrees F. However, the area has been hit by drought.
Severe Drought
According to the Drought Monitor, parts of New Jersey suffer from “severe drought.” This is characterized by “Crop or pasture loss likely, fire risk very high, water shortages common, and water restrictions imposed.”
New Jersey is also on the Accuweather list of states with high wildfire risk throughout the year. It reports that “wildfire season in the U.S. typically peaks later in summer and through autumn, but springtime fires can pose a unique danger, especially in areas facing drought coming out of winter.”
The Accuweather analysis shows that only the northwest and midwest parts of America have low wildfire risk for the rest of the year.
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