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Mayor: Jennings Creek/Sterling Forest fire largely contained after multi-agency response
Summary
Mayor said the Jennings Creek/Sterling Forest fire that threatened Greenwood Lake is being held after a multi-agency response, mandatory evacuations near Edgemere Avenue, activation of a shelter and extensive water drops from the lake.
Mayor opened the village board meeting by describing the scope of the Jennings Creek / Sterling Forest fire and its local impacts, and asked attendees to observe a moment of silence for firefighter Dario Vasquez, who died on the fire’s first day. The mayor said the fire started near the New Jersey border, crossed into New York, and drew a sustained response from state, county and local crews.
"It was fought by upwards of 300 firefighters a day," the mayor said, describing mandatory evacuations for parts of the community, the opening of a middle school as a shelter and the use of large-scale water drops from Greenwood Lake. "There was almost 500000 gallons of water taken from the lake and dropped on on the fire." The mayor said officials expected 1.5–2.5 inches of rain that evening to help containment but warned of runoff and tree-stability hazards on burned slopes.
The mayor credited Orange County Emergency Management and local fire leadership for coordinating lines, road closures and evacuation plans. He said state forest rangers and hand crews were continuing to monitor smoldering areas and rake or pour water on hot spots to prevent re-ignition. The board emphasized that containment was improving but cautioned that conditions could change, and that some resources would be held in reserve in case of flare-ups.
