Fire Breaks Out At Eagle Rock Reservation In Essex County (See Latest Update)

This article was updated at 5:22 p.m. on April 23

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A fire broke out at Eagle Rock Reservation on Tuesday night, burning about 18 acres before emergency responders got it under control, authorities said.

The blaze took place around 11 a.m. at the county-run reservation, which is located along the Watchung Mountains ridge line located between West Orange, Montclair and Verona.

There were no injuries or property damage, according to Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr.

“We had a quick response from our office of emergency management, the West Orange Fire Department and the New Jersey Forest Fire Service,” he said, adding that the fire was “quickly brought under control.”

“We are continuing the investigation to find out what caused the fire,” DiVincenzo said.

The reservation will be closed on Wednesday out of an “abundance of caution,” so that the county can monitor the forest, make sure the fire is completely out and take down any damaged trees, DiVincenzo said.

WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE

The West Orange Fire Department released the following update about the fire on Wednesday morning:

“The initial report came into 911 dispatch at 10:39 p.m. Upon arrival of first companies and the Essex County Sherriff’s Office (ECSO) and observing the size of the fire, notification was made by the incident commander to the NJ Forest Fire. A crew of three each with a ‘brush’ truck responded and was able to access the fire area where WOFD apparatuses were not. WOFD was able to bring two pickup trucks with tools to access the trails close to the fire. Having multiple agencies on scene, a unified command was established. The fire was located about a half-mile into the woods from the back parking lot of the park in the northwest area of the woods. The NJFFS assessed the fire conditions, the area burning, the topography and wind conditions and developed an action plan which was communicated face-to-face to all WOFD personnel on scene.

“Notification was also made to the Essex County Fire Mutual Aid Coordinator, who responded and dispatched the Verona Fire Department to the most northwestern area of the reservation, where there was a potential exposure to residential dwellings. The NJFFS personnel began to light back fires throughout the area, burning in coordination with WOFD personnel utilizing backpack leaf blowers, rakes and shovels to help facilitate the natural and created firebreaks. There was a creek serving as one of the fire breaks, which proved to be very helpful to suppression efforts.

“Using the tactics employed to limit the fuel (leaves, brush, etc.), the fire ultimately burned itself out approximately three hours after arrival and the NJFFS personnel remained on scene to monitor for potential rekindles.

“The ECSO also deployed a drone during the event which helped provide a bird’s eye view of the fire and calculate the size, which was estimated at 18 acres. The drone also had a spotlight which was an added benefit in this scenario although it wasn’t discovered until later in the incident.

“For the duration of the event, the township had mutual aid from other Essex County departments at our fire headquarters, and our rescue companies remained in service to answer medical calls.”

OTHER NEW JERSEY FIRES

Essex County isn't the only area in New Jersey that has experienced a big forest fire this week.

Authorities are looking into the cause of the Jones Road Wildfire after it began Tuesday morning and prompted thousands of evacuations and road closures throughout South Jersey. As of Wednesday afternoon, the fire was 40 percent contained and had swelled to 12,500 acres, officials said.

• See Related: What Caused The South Jersey Wildfire? What We Know
• See Related: 10 Largest Wildfires In New Jersey's History (Where They Burned, When)

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