Two forest fires put out

By Nathan Mayberg
WEST MILFORD — Two wildfires destroyed more than four acres of trees and brush on Monday.

One of the fires, on the west side of Greenwood Lake off Quigley Road, burned between four to five acres of brush and trees, West Milford Fire Marshal Michael Moscatello said.

Three West Milford Fire Department companies battled the fire, which was about a half-mile from any homes in the middle of the woods, Moscatello said. A Forest Fire Service helicopter dropped water on the fire in addition to forest firefighters on the ground who battled the blaze.

The fire began around 3:30 p.m. and was brought under control by about 9 p.m., Moscatello said.

Firefighters were still attending to hot spots Tuesday morning. The cause of the forest fire is under investigation.

A smaller brush and tree fire burned an approximately 55 foot by 25 foot piece of land off of Route 23 near Germantown Road, Moscatello said. The cause of that fire was believed to have been a discarded cigarette.

That fire is believed to have started around 4 p.m. and was put out within an hour, Moscatello said.

This has been a bad time for forest fires in New Jersey.

There were more than 130 forest fires reported last month in the 12-county region that includes Passaic County, New Jersey Forest Fire Service Warden Jason Von Oesen said. The dryness of the climate combined with the heat and winds can make the conditions of the fire worse.

The vast majority of forest fires can be traced to people or incidents involving broken wires and equipment. According to Von Oesen, less than one percent of fires in New Jersey are caused by lightning.