Pompton Lakes officials praise volunteers after 180-acre wildfire; drought warning heightens concern
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Summary
Officials credited coordinated multiagency response after a wildfire burned about 180 acres near Pompton Lakes, thanked volunteers and neighboring departments, and urged residents to conserve water amid a state drought warning and follow official emergency channels.
Pompton Lakes borough leaders on Nov. 13 credited volunteer firefighters, police, emergency medical services and neighboring municipalities for helping contain a wildfire that officials said burned roughly 180 acres.
Mayor and council members described the response as a coordinated multiagency effort that relied on a local command center and mutual aid from neighboring towns. An emergency-management official said State Forest Fire was the lead agency for the wildland portion of the incident and that local crews focused on protecting structures. "We had a command center set up here and OEM with Al... and I have to also thank the forest, the state forest services that came in," the mayor said.
Officials said the fire grew quickly when crews could not use aerial resources after dark and that a nearby condominium complex briefly saw visible flames. A shelter was considered but not opened. Emergency-management staff reported that incident testing and environmental sampling were conducted and that additional tests were planned to confirm the absence of lingering contamination.
Council members also raised a separate but related public-safety concern: the state had issued a drought warning the same day. Officials urged residents to conserve water and follow voluntary restrictions, such as limiting lawn watering and repairing leaks, while noting mandatory restrictions could follow if conditions worsen.
Public commenters and council members recommended residents sign up for the borough—s reverse-9-1-1 and to rely on official borough channels (PL OEM, PLVFD, Pompton Lakes Police) for accurate information rather than social media. The borough administrator said hazard testing results were "better today than they were the other day" and that further data would be available after additional sampling.
The meeting closed with council members thanking first responders and noting condolence to the family of a New York State Parks worker who died fighting the fire.
