By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON (AA) - Firefighters in the US states of New Jersey and New York are struggling Tuesday to control the growing Jennings Creek Wildfire after it burned thousands of acres along a shared border, and led to at least one death.
The fire began Saturday in New York before spreading to consume more than 3,500 acres, fueled by unseasonably dry conditions and strong winds, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. It is 20% contained in the state.
Authorities are expected to brief reporters later Tuesday with updated figures.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Preservation expects the fire to grow to at least 5,000 acres before it is fully contained, according to multiple reports.
New York State Police identified Parks and Recreation employee Dariel Vasquez, 18, as the first victim of the fire. Vasquez was killed Saturday while battling the blaze in Sterling Forest, New York.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday that her state has "tapped into every asset we could possibly think of" to contain the inferno, which is the largest to hit the state since 2008 amid an ongoing drought.
"We have not seen anything of this scale. This is the time for people to be very, very careful about what they're doing so we don't contribute to the challenges that we're dealing with right now trying to stop the spread," she told the News 12 station.
"Please be careful, monitor the forecasts and pay attention to alerts from local law enforcement in the short term while there is an active fire. Don't be burning outdoors and be watching your water use," she added.