On Saturday night, at least 160 homes in New York received voluntary evacuation orders due to windy conditions that worsened a wildfire, pushing it toward a town near the New York-New Jersey border.
The Jennings Creek Fire has burned over 5,200 acres and is 88% contained, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation DEC. A state of emergency in Orange County was extended through Monday.
The evacuation orders affected residents of Greenwood Lake and Wah-ta-Wah Park in Warwick, Orange County.
A DEC spokesperson stated that the evacuations were successful and allowed emergency teams to work without interruption overnight. It’s unclear how many residents evacuated or returned on Sunday, as the order remains in effect.
A Warwick supervisor shared that they aim to allow residents to return by Monday, pending safety assessments.
Earlier this month, the fire claimed the life of an 18-year-old Parks Department worker who was fighting the blaze near Greenwood Lake.