POMPTON LAKES – No evacuation order has been issued in the area as a brush fire rages in the Cannonball Road area.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s wildland fire department reported on X around 7 a.m. Saturday that “55 structures are threatened by the fire, but no evacuations are taking place at this time.”
The Forest Fire Service also reported that 75 hectares are on fire and that it was “0% contained” as of Saturday morning.
Interstate 287 is being affected by smoke near its intersection with the Wanaque River, the Forest Fire Department said at 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
The Pompton Lakes fire chief told NorthJersey.com Friday evening that the fire was burning in 25 to 30 acres and was 60% to 70% contained. He said the local volunteer fire department also remained on scene.
The fire chief said a Forest Fire Department helicopter dropped water on the fire last night. He confirmed the fire started at the old DuPont factory on Cannonball Road, just off Route 28. No injuries were reported as of late last night.
The state is facing a drought situation. After more than a month of dry weather, rain is expected to return this weekend, bringing some relief to parched areas across the state, National Weather Service meteorologist Joe DeSilva said.
Showers will likely start Sunday and continue through Monday morning, with a total of a quarter to half an inch of rain, DeSilva said. This would mark New Jersey’s first significant rainfall in 35 days, a period that has heightened drought concerns and raised the risk of wildfires in some areas.
Several wildfires have been reported in recent weeks, including one in Morris County that took days to bring under control.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Pompton Lakes wildfire threatens 55 buildings: NJ Forest Fire Service
