Volunteer forest ranger, 18, dies responding to New York wildfire that sent smoky haze over NYC

By Eric Levenson, Paradise Afshar and Alaa Elassar, CNN

(CNN) — An 18-year-old New York State Forest Ranger volunteer and state employee died Saturday while responding to a wildfire near the New York-New Jersey border that sent smoke drifting across New York City, officials said.

Dariel Vasquez, a Parks and Recreation aide employed by the New York State Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Department, was killed while battling a fire in a forest in Greenwood Lake, about 35 miles northwest of New York City, according to state police.

The death stems from the Jennings Creek Fire burning in the area of Greenwood Lake Turnpike and East Shore Road in West Milford, Passaic County, as well as in Orange County, New York, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.

The fire was one of several blazes in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast this weekend amid an ongoing drought, dry air and high winds. A fire in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park took over three hours to extinguish, and a fire in New Jersey led to arson charges against a 37-year-old man.

The Jennings Creek Fire has burned 2,500 acres and isn’t contained, the Fire Service said Sunday. About 25 structures are threatened, though none have been evacuated. Crews are working to put out the fire, and as of Saturday night were “in a good position” due to favorable weather conditions in the area, Greenwood Lake said on social media.

“Sadly, we have received news of the line-of-duty death of a NYS Forest Ranger Volunteer,” Greenwood Lake Mayor Tom Howley wrote in the post. “Our deepest condolences go out to their family and fellow rangers.”

Vasquez was a recent graduate of Ramapo High School in the East Ramapo Central School District and member of the school’s varsity baseball team, the East Ramapo Titans. He was Rockland County’s Athlete of the Season in the spring of 2024, according to district superintendent Anthony DiCarlo.

DiCarlo said in a statement that Vasquez “was a dedicated student and a gifted athlete – a leader among his classmates and teammates. We send our thoughts and condolences to Dariel’s family during this difficult time.”

“Dariel’s spirit, determination, and dedication will never be forgotten,” said a Facebook post from Sabrina Charles-Pierre, a representative of the East Ramapo Central School Board of Education.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she was “deeply saddened” by the death.

“I commend his dedication to serving and protecting his fellow New Yorkers, and his bravery on the front lines,” she said in a statement. “New York is battling multiple wildfires due to the dry conditions we are currently facing. Our State employees are working around the clock to protect our communities and we are keeping them close in our thoughts as they put their lives on the line to stop the spread of these wildfires.”

Smoke from the fire drifted over to New York City and gave the area a smoky smell on Saturday. The state has issued an air quality health advisory and recommended people consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity, particularly for those sensitive to the effects of high levels of pollutants.

Andrew Meher, a resident of West Milford, New Jersey, on Greenwood Lake, took photos of the fire and said the smell of smoke was noticeable in the air.

Dane Carmichael told CNN he went to West Milford on Saturday night to see the wildfire and take video.

“From where I was last night, the fire looked dimmer near the neighborhood, but up higher on the ridge, away from the houses, it was absolutely roaring,” he said.

Millions in Northeast under red flag warnings

A brush fire in Prospect Park in Brooklyn on Friday night burned two acres of extremely dry vegetation, spurring firefighters to battle the blaze for more than three hours, the Fire Department of New York said.

On Friday, red flag warnings were in place for over 50 million people, including Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York and Boston. As of Sunday, nearly 12 million people remain under a red flag warning in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The Northeast has seen an incredibly dry streak of weather, leading to an ongoing drought that has provided plenty of fuel for any new wildfires that start up.

New York’s second-longest dry streak –- 29 days straight – ended on October 28 when the city had only 0.01 inches of rainfall. The rainfall in the city has been running significantly below average since September 1. Central Park in New York City has seen 1.59 inches of rainfall since then, almost 8 inches below normal.

With this lack of rainfall, drought numbers have been increasing substantially across the Northeast. As of November 5, about 55% of the region was under some sort of drought.

“With recent drought conditions, there have been multiple wildfires ignited across the state, and we have deployed state assets and agencies to coordinate with local first responders in fighting these fires while closely monitoring air quality as a result of them,” Hochul said in a statement.

“The safety of all New Yorkers is my top priority, and I urge everyone in impacted areas, especially those vulnerable, to stay alert, monitor air quality, and take necessary precautions to stay safe.”

Man charged with arson in ‘Shotgun Fire’

A man has been charged with arson after officials say he fired an illegal shotgun round that sparked a wildfire in Jackson Township, New Jersey, scorching 350 acres of land and prompting evacuations in the surrounding community.

Richard Shashaty, 37, has been charged with arson and violation of the regulatory provisions relating to firearms, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette announced in a joint statement Saturday.

Officials said they determined the origin of the fire, dubbed the Shotgun Fire, was “behind a berm in the Southwest corner of the Rifle Club, and the fire was caused by magnesium shards of a Dragons Breath 12-gauge shotgun round igniting available combustibles on the berm of the shooting range.”

The firing of this type of incendiary or tracer ammunition is prohibited in New Jersey, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

Dragon’s Breath ammunition is a specialized type of shotgun shell that contains exothermic pyrophoric metal mesh as the projectile with the primary purpose of generating a burst of flame or a fireball upon firing, effectively simulating the effect of a flamethrower. Three states prohibit the manufacture, purchase and possession of this ammunition and it is illegal in at least 10 others, according to the Giffords Law Center.

It “should be used with caution as it can cause fires if it lands in dry brush, trees or other flammable objects,” says Texas ammunition seller KIR Ammo in its product description page. “Therefore, it is important to use this type of ammunition only in a safe and controlled setting with the proper precautions in place.”

This type of ammunition gained popularity after being featured in the film “John Wick 4” and is not made for self-defense or hunting purposes, but for entertainment purposes and producing visual effects in “controlled settings,” according to KIR Ammo.

Shashaty surrendered himself to police headquarters with his attorney on Saturday and was transported to the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

On Wednesday, 15 homes were evacuated due to the wildfire and 25 homes were threatened, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.

Among those evacuated were Barbara Ventre and Jean Paul Bergeron, who feared their home would not survive the fire after seeing smoke and being ordered to leave, CNN affiliate News 12 New Jersey reported.

“Oh, this was horrendous. Never been this close,” Ventre told News 12. “My daughter and I packed up important papers and all of our prescriptions and got the dog, grabbed everybody, and when they said, ‘Go,’ we were ready to go.”

Evacuees were allowed to return home late Wednesday as fire crews achieve 90% containment.

“God bless our firefighters,” said Bergeron. “I have a home to come back to because of all of our firefighters out here for the last two days.”

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CNN’s Robert Shackelford and Sara Smart contributed to this report.