POMPTON LAKES, N.J. — Crews continued to battle several wildfires in northern New Jersey on Saturday.
Fires have been breaking out across the state this week as the drought affecting the Tri-State Area stretches on .
“New Jersey Forest Fire Service in general has responded to over 400 fires last month and roughly 40-some fires between yesterday and today,” New Jersey Forest Fire Service Chief Bill Donnelly said Saturday.
Fire officials say a significant amount of rain is needed to give firefighters some reprieve.
“It’s up to Mother Nature. When she brings the rain, we’ll take a break, but until we see that, I don’t see any break in sight,” Donnelly said. “We’re not talking, you know, rain shower or something. We’re talking inches of rain, you know, a nice, slow, steady rain that can penetrate the ground. Because right now, the ground is so hard that you get a heavy shower or something, it’s just going to run off the ground.”