Controlled burns expected to intensify as wildfire firefighting efforts continue in Greenwood Lake
Helicopters carrying hundreds of gallons of water can be heard overhead every few minutes.
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Firefighting efforts are intensifying along the area of East Shore Road in Greenwood Lake Wednesday as efforts to contain a dayslong wildfire on the border of New York and New Jersey once again dangerously nears homes.
Helicopters carrying hundreds of gallons of water can be heard overhead every few minutes and Chinook helicopters, capable of dropping larger amounts of water, are expected to arrive during the day. Officials say more than 300 personnel from 64 agencies and departments are on the ground battling and monitoring the conditions, and once again doing controlled burns.
“In the next couple days, you are going to see more smoke and flames. These are by design,” says Greenwood Lake Mayor Thomas Howley.
Village officials say weather conditions are expected to become more favorable for back burns on Wednesday as firefighters aggressively battle more than 4,000 acres that remain ablaze.
News 12 drone video of the fire lin
e from Jersey Avenue on the border of New York and New Jersey shows a large area of thick smoke billowing from the mountainside along the lake.
Officials say 2.5 miles of water lines are in place from East Shore Road to Blue Lake.
Residents near the fire line say the conditions up close are frightening and that many are voluntarily evacuating because of how bad the smoke is. They say private boats are escorting people seeking safety because of area road closures.
“My HEPA air filter is showing blood red and bad air quality as its setting,” says one resident who left her home early Wednesday morning. “I evacuated myself. I just couldn’t take the smoke anymore.”
Orange and Rockland Utilities is cutting power to homes on the fire line and officials say customers impacted will be notified through a reverse 911 call. No restoration time has been announced.
The Greenwood Lake School District cancelled after school activities on Wednesday and district officials say schools will be closed on Thursday and Friday.
There is currently no mandatory evacuation orders in place.
As of Wednesday afternoon, about a dozen residents could be seen at Greenwood Lake Beach in awe of the blaze as smoke could be seen billowing from the mountain and helicopters hovered every few minutes over the water where boats would normally be.
“I’m praying for these people,” says resident Charles Morgan. “This is a shock to Greenwood Lake. It really is.”
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