Conditions had been perfect: October and November were among the driest months on record due to the lack of rainfall; the fall season had contributed to an extensive, dry covering of leaves throughout the Sterling Forest floor and neighboring communities; and New York state and Orange county had been under a drought watch and burn ban for several weeks. And after it became clear that a fire had ignited in the heart of Sterling Forest near hiking trails around Jennings Creek and was beginning to expand into both New York and New Jersey, alarms went off throughout the entire fire-fighting communities in both states and the word went out that the Greenwood Lake Fire Department was going to need help.
On Monday, November 11 (Veterans Day), County Executive Steve Neuhaus, together with Warwick Town Supervisor, Jesse Dwyer, Greenwood Lake Mayor Tom Howley, and Greenwood Lake School Superintendent Sarah Hadden held a joint News Conference at the Greenwood Lake Fire Department which had quickly become the command center. During the conference members of the Orange County Department of Emergency Management described the resources that the County was deploying to assist the growing number of firefighters and volunteers.
Dwyer commented, “Make no mistake; this is one of the worst natural disasters that the Town of Warwick has seen in many, many years. This morning I met with over 300 individual men and women volunteers who have come to our community to protect our lives, to protect our homes and to protect the lives of the residents of Warwick. We are forever grateful for their community service and for what they have brought here.” Howley spoke of how grateful the Village of Greenwood Lake was for the resources of people and equipment that the County has dedicated to the Jennings Creek fire. “I can’t thank you enough,” he said, “for the help you are providing to our community as well as the local businesses who have donated food and other resources to help the volunteers and firefighters who are working day and night on our behalf.”
Greenwood Lake Superintendent Sarah Hadden was kept up to speed throughout the event. School was delayed on Tuesday and after school activities were canceled on Wednesday. Due to a planned fire response initiative, the schools were ordered to be closed on Thursday and Friday so that the first responders had limited traffic on the roads. Supt Hadden expressed her commitment of support, “We will do all we can as a District to support the firefighters and first responders in their efforts to fight this fire and bring it under control.”
Commander Bryan Gallagher, the New York State DEC Forest Ranger, is the incident commander for the Jennings Creek fire. During the press conference on Monday, he described the status of the state and county efforts that had “contained 20% of the fire and had deployed six helicopters, 33 5-person hand crews, five engines, four water tankers, and about 230 personnel in the field. The American Red Cross had established a center on Waterstone Road in the Village of Greenwood Lake. Over 5,000 acres had been affected, with about half in New York and half in New Jersey.” Over the previous weekend, the winds had been from the south and pushed the fire toward the New York side; by Monday and Tuesday the winds had shifted to the West, pushing the fire away from the Village community and homes. The forecast for the next couple of days, however, was unfavorable, with a steady 20 mph wind and gusts up to 30mph, which is the right at the limit of conditions that would allow the helicopters to continue flying.
The following day, November 12, at a news conference addressing ongoing efforts to battle the Jennings Creek wildfire, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul appeared at the command center on Lakes Road, and met with County Executive Neuhaus, Town Supervisor Jesse Dwyer, and Village of Greenwood Lake Mayor Tom Howley to evaluate what the state could do to augment efforts to contain the blaze. As she began the news conference, she reminded attendees that this was a serious event that had already claimed the life of an 18-year-old firefighter from Rockland County, Dariel Vasquez, a member of the Wildland Fire Crew. “Firefighters from over 47 companies across the State of New York, trying to support their brothers and sisters in uniform, as we deal with these difficult challenges,” she remarked. “Right now we have two National Guard Blackhawk helicopters that are doing water drops. And we’ve been requested by the County Executive to bring in Chinook helicopters, which have greater capacity, but require that we rotate the teams in and out.”
The Hudson Valley had been under a level 2 drought watch by the NYSDEC and a red flag wildfire watch by the National Weather Service. The level 2 designation points to a severe drought. Hochul placed the entire state under a temporary burn ban Tuesday due to the ongoing dry conditions, which raises the risk of wildfires. The persistence of the firefighters, together with a reduced wind velocity, began to enable the containment to increase.
By Thursday, Nov 14, weather conditions were about to change again. According to the daily briefings from the New York State Park Police, the official, verified news source for the Jennings Creek forest fire, “Fire lines held last night, with the fire making negligible incremental gains. The fire that could be seen overnight was part of the burnout operations and was within the fire line. Volunteer crews led by NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) Forest Rangers worked throughout the night. Burnout operations will continue throughout the day, leading to more visible fire and smoke, and an increase in acreage.” The Jennings Creek wildfire was continuing to exist primarily in the Sterling Forest State Park and was boxed in by fire lines. New York State Police and New York Army National Guard Helicopters dropped 166 buckets of water on the fire.. Four helicopters: two Chinooks and two Blackhawks would be in the air today. The Chinooks will drop approximately 2,000 gallons/bucket drop. The Blackhawk helicopters drop approximately 600 gallons/bucket drop. More than 300 firefighters from six state agencies as well as dozens of volunteer fire companies will continue on suppression efforts today. The fire was now 41% contained.
On Friday, November 15, firefighters continued to employ controlled burn tactics to minimize the underbrush fuel that allowed the main fire to grow, and it was beginning to show good results. They were fighting fire with fire. Burnout operations built on the tremendous progress made yesterday. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) Forest Rangers led dozens of volunteers throughout today’s operations.. Approximately 300 firefighters from six state agencies, as well as dozens of volunteer fire companies conducted suppression efforts today. They were joined by 18 wildland firefighters from Montana and two from Colorado. There was more visible fire and smoke today due to the planned burnout operations.
The fire burned 5,201 acres and is now 88 percent contained. There are currently no evacuations in place and no structures at immediate risk. As fire suppression continues, traffic congestion and smoke and particulate matter in the air are anticipated.
The message from the Park Police was encouraging: The Jennings Creek wildfire continues to burn primarily in the Sterling Forest State Park and is boxed in by fire lines. The park’s visitor center, lakefront area, and historic furnace area is open but all activities in the woodlands area remain closed, including hunting. The cluster of residences around the lake are unaffected. Residents are encouraged to continue to abide by the statewide burn ban in effect to prevent additional wildfires. We encourage the public to share this information and continue to follow local official accounts, including the New York State Park Police Facebook account, which will send out the most up-to-date and verified information regarding the Jennings Fire.
On Saturday, November 16, however, as residents were gathering to engage in a community-wide “Clap-Out” – a public outpouring of gratitude to the men and women first responders, firefighters, volunteers, police, EMS, and others, many noticed that the wind had picked up speed again and was now appearing to threaten some of the neighborhoods.. While thousands had lined Windermere Ave in Greenwood Lake to say thank you to all the volunteers, residents could see the smoke getting closer. Later that day a small section of the fire breached a containment line, but it did not reach the contingency line. This line was reinforced with a fully charged hose extending from Edgemere Ave east past Wah Ta Wah’s 7th Rd. It was ready to supply water for firefighting if necessary. That evening several dozen homeowners were asked to participate in a voluntary evacuation for two reasons: 1) out of the abundance of caution and 2) to allow larger fire equipment to navigate the narrow streets to allow the trucks to get closer to the fire. Residents were given sufficient time to leave in their own vehicles, while others (particularly any elderly and infirmed) were safely evacuated by the Town’s Dial-A-Bus program with help from emergency responders.
By Sunday, November 17 the result of the overnight efforts was announced: Last night’s voluntary evacuation was effective and allowed emergency crews to operate without interruption. The voluntary evacuation remains in place until at least tomorrow to facilitate continued firefighting operations. Officials extended their gratitude to the dozens of police agencies that assisted the Warwick and Greenwood Lake Police Departments, ensuring a seamless evacuation process. The announcement also carried a summary of the day’s result:
- Firefighters will conduct backburning operations from Edgemere inward. This may produce heavy smoke and more visible flames, but it is a controlled strategy to manage the fire. The evacuated areas will be used for aggressive fire suppression efforts.
- An Evacuation Shelter was established at the Greenwood Lake Middle School, 1247 Lakes Rd. If you have any emergency needs, please contact the Village of Greenwood Lake Police Department at 845-477-9215.
- Support from State Agencies included the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) Forest Rangers who were leading today’s suppression efforts, joined by firefighters from various state agencies, volunteer fire companies, and support from Montana. The New York Air National Guard will conduct bucket drops using Chinook and Blackhawk helicopters. Expect additional smoke from these operations.
- Current Fire Status: Location: Sterling Forest State Park; Area Burned: 5,207 acres
- Containment: 88% contained
To the residents’ collective relief efforts overnight to protect structures had been successful and no structures were in danger. The small section of fire that breached a containment line did not reach the contingency line. Last night’s voluntary evacuation was successful and allowed emergency apparatus and firefighters to operate uninterrupted through the night. The voluntary evacuation remains in place at least until tomorrow to allow for continued firefighting efforts.
Town Supervisor Jesse Dwyer issued a “heartfelt thanks and appreciation for local and regional fire/EMS/police personnel and great admiration for volunteers and businesses who donated time, money, and food to support the effort. The Town of Warwick thanks the National Guard of the U.S. Army and all responders who have kept our Greenwood Lake community safe over the past 8 days. We have learned to never celebrate achievements too early. However, fire operations went very well today. Our goal will be to get residents back home by tomorrow and we will evaluate if that can be done safely during our morning briefings. Thank you all for your patience and support of our first responders as we tackle this unprecedented challenge.”
Some roads will remain closed until further notice, to allow firefighting trucks and other equipment easier access to the affected areas. The State of Emergency from Orange County has been extended. The following roadways will be closed to public traffic:
- East Shore Road from Sterling Road at the intersection of Wah-Ta-Wah Drive to the north entrance of Woods Road.
- Residents in the voluntary evacuation area are asked to continue sheltering so that crews can effectively suppress the fire. There is currently no threat to structures but crews are actively working to ensure structure protection.
Sterling Forest State Park is a 22,180-acre state park located in the Ramapo Mountains in Orange County, New York. Established in 1998, it is among the larger additions to the New York state park system in the last 50 years. Originally part of a vast tract of land called Cheesecock that a group of English colonists bought from the Iroquois Indians in 1702, Sterling Forest eventually “came to belong to the Sterling Iron Works, which mined and shipped iron ore from a number of sites within the park,” according to the Wikipedia site. “The last of the mines was closed in the 1920s. Public advocacy for conservation of Sterling Forest had existed since the 1950s, but without success.
By the 1990s, this advocacy was centered on the Public/Private Partnership to Save Sterling Forest, a coalition of twenty-nine New York and New Jersey nonprofit organizations chaired by Robert O. Binnewies, Executive Director of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission. The Public/Private Partnership worked for almost a decade to secure funding commitments from the federal government, the State of New Jersey, the State of New York, and private sources to achieve acquisition of most Sterling Forest Corporation holdings. In 1998, The Trust for Public Land and the Open Space Institute negotiated a purchase on behalf of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission of 15,805 acres of corporate holdings for $55 million. Governors George Pataki (NY) and Christine Todd Whitman (NJ) jointly announced that Sterling Forest State Park was established. In February 2021, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the addition of another 112 acres to the state park, resulting from a partnership with the Orange County Land Trust.
Photo credits: NY State Forest Rangers
