Don’t hold your breath – the smoky air and fire smell isn’t going anywhere fast.
New Jersey residents woke up on Friday to yet another day of haze and a distinct burning scent as teams continue to battle the Jennings Creek blaze in Passaic County – and experts warned that the wind could shift the poor air conditions over New York City.
As of Friday morning, the brush fire was about 75% contained, according to FOX Weather meteorologist production assistant Joseph Davis.
“Anywhere directly south of that should be seeing some smoke right now,” he told The Post, noting that the air quality index for the eastern half of the Garden State was listed as “poor.”
The smoke conditions extended out over the water, and could shift around New York City later on Friday due to high winds, Davis said.
The air quality in the Big Apple was teetering between “good” and “moderate” around 9:30 a.m., but those conditions could deteriorate if the New Jersey fire smoke inched closer, he explained.
“The wind is going to shift more towards New York, we could see more poor air quality later today,” Davis noted.
The conditions were set to last through Saturday and Sunday – making for a haze-covered fall weekend in the region.
The risk of brush fires is also still active throughout the tri-state area, including parts of Pennsylvania and into Connecticut, Davis said.
“The elevated fire right is pretty expansive over the tri-state due to the drought and winds,” he explained.
Over 20 million people in the northeast were under fire threat this week.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) said Wednesday that the Jennings Creek fire will have burned as much as 5,000 acres once it is fully contained.
As of mid-week, nearly 2,300 acres had burned in New Jersey alone – while firefighters in New York City grappled with brush fire outbreaks in Prospect Park and Inwood.
A 14-year-old boy was arrested last week for allegedly igniting one of the New Jersey fires that destroyed 52 acres, police announced.
