'Significant progress' made in taming Greenwood Lake wildfire
Cautious optimism is being felt in Greenwood Lake. First responders say they have contained 88% of the wildfire that has been burning at the New York/New Jersey border for nearly a week.
More Stories
Cautious optimism is being felt in Greenwood Lake. First responders say they have contained 88% of the wildfire that has been burning at the New York/New Jersey border for nearly a week.
Smoke and some flames are still lingering near Greenwood Lake.
"It was super bad, I could hardly breathe when I walked outside," says Greenwood Lake resident Anthony Serpe.
But town and village leaders say things are getting better.
"Every day you come in here, you are just hoping to chip it away a little bit. Everything is going to try to get back to normal," says Greenwood Lake Mayor, Thomas Howley.
Since starting last Saturday, the flames from the wildfire burned through about 5,000 acres along the New York/New Jersey border.
Thanks to hundreds of first responders, town and village leaders say a lot of this wildfire is now contained.
Gov. Kathy Hochul says they are working on getting funds that could reimburse these emergency crews for some of the costs that go into fighting this fire.
“The Fire Management Assistance Grant Declaration opens the door to crucial federal funding to help cover costs associated with responding to the Jennings Creek/Sterling State Park wildfire and protecting those in its path,” Gov.Hochul said.
Village and town leaders say there will likely still be some road closures throughout the weekend as the 'controlled burns' continue.
Also, the governor's office is urgently reminding New Yorkers that there is still a statewide burn ban in effect.
