Firefighters were getting closer Friday to taming a wildfire burning across the New Jersey-New York border on Friday, increasing their encirclement of the hard-to-access blaze.
The fire, named the Jennings Creek blaze, was 90% contained on the Passaic County, New Jersey, side of the border, and about 70% contained on the Orange County, New York side.
It had burned 7 1/2 square miles (19.4 square kilometers) across the two states, although New York officials said that number is likely to increase somewhat in coming days.
Stronger winds were forecast for the weekend, which could complicate efforts to bring it under complete control. The forecast does not call for rain until Thursday, and firefighters said they will remain on the scene until significant rainfall occurs.
The blaze claimed the life of a New York parks workers who was assisting firefighting crews last week.
The fire’s cause remains under investigation.
New Jersey fire officials said they would no longer issue updates on the fire, barring serious unforeseen complications.
