The battle to tame a large and deadly wildfire in New York and New Jersey intensifies. It has been all hands on deck and it's going to stay that way until the massive 5,000 acre wildfire is out.

"It's definitely a scary situation. I've only seen this in like California wildfires," says Greenwood Lake resident Micki Lees.

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This is a terrifying first for Micki Lees and she hopes it's the last.

"I don't know if you really think about it that much because if you did, you would probably start crying," says Lees.

She, along with her family, briefly left their home when the smell of smoke became unbearable over the weekend.

"That's when we decided we need to go because it was hard to breathe," Lees explains.

It's coming from the wildfire burning along the New York-New Jersey border.

"This is the largest fire in our state since 2008," says Gov. Kathy Hochul.

As of Monday afternoon, crews had about 20% of it contained. Officials are still trying to pinpoint the cause of the fire. Right now, it's still too dangerous for their investigators to find that out.

"My wife was upset, my son was upset. They started to cry because they didn't know if we would be coming back to the house or not," says Greenwood Lake resident Anthony Sole.

Neighbors like Sole are on edge but they're starting to see some progress.

People in the community have been stepping in to help, donations of water and food have been brought to the Greenwood Lake Community Center on Waterstone Avenue.

Neighbors in the community tell News 12 they are thankful for the emergency crews who are working around the clock to tame the fire.

"These guys are amazing," says Sole.

Gov. Hochul is expected to visit the area Tuesday afternoon. She says she is continuing to mobilize state resources to help.

All schools in the Greenwood Lake Union Free School District will be delayed two hours Tuesday due to an ongoing wildfire in the area, according to the district.

School officials say that after-school activities are currently still planned, but that could change depending on conditions.

The district has also rescheduled its Board of Education business meeting that was scheduled for Tuesday due to the fires.

The district released a statement to families saying, “The past few days the GWL community has again faced severe weather-related conditions, this time a forest fire. I have been in constant touch with county, town, and village officials throughout the last few days and have been in attendance at the Command Meetings at the Greenwood Lake Fire Department. I would like to begin by recognizing the line-of-duty death of NY State Parks Employee Dariel Vasquez, who was killed while battling the fire. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. His passing is a somber reminder of what first responders put on the line on a daily basis. Next, I’d like to note that the Greenwood Lake Fire Department is a department full of heroes. Watching them work, along with the park rangers, and multiple other fire departments has been one of the most impressive things I’ve ever witnessed. Please continue to pray for all the first responder, from around the state, who are working around the clock to contain this fire, protect homes, and mitigate further damage as much as possible.”

“Under the advisement of state and county officials, Greenwood Lake UFSD will operate on a two-hour delay tomorrow, Tuesday, November 12, 2024. ALL GWL transportation pickups will be two hours later than normal, including Warwick HS, Chester Academy, and all out of district placements. At this time, we expect after school activities to occur as normal, but will communicate any changes if they are necessary based on conditions.”

“Thank you to County Executive Neuhaus, Supervisor Dwyer, Mayor Howley, and Police Chiefs Rader and Eirand for their support over the last few days and for the constant communication. For those of you who live along East Shore, know we are here for you as a community and will continue to pray for you and your homes in the coming days.”

“The situation remains fluid. We will continue to monitor conditions and adhere to all advice from officials. Any fire related information will come from town and county officials. We will only communicate school-related changes.”