This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

State Lifts Fire Ban After Weekend Coastal Storm

Heavy rains helped, but long term outlook still uncertain

 

After the much-needed rain soaked the area all Sunday, New Jersey Forest Fire Service officials have lifted the ban on open fires.

The rain helped ease the season's extremely dry conditions somewhat, according to New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection officials.

Find out what's happening in Berkeleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"The campfire ban has been lifted all throughout the state," said DEP spokesman Robert Considine.

The heavy rains will make a difference in preventing forest fires, DEP spokesman Larry Ragonese said earlier today.

Find out what's happening in Berkeleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"It would eliminate, at least in the short term, the very dry conditions that have been evident in our forests for the past several months," he said.

Still, one day of heavy downpour cannot erase this year's virtually snowless winter and a very dry spring, Ragonese said.

"From the forest fire perspective, and from the water supply perspective, this type of rain is what we need," he said. "Long-term though, we don't know what this rain means. We haven’t had much of any real precipitation; the state climatologists have said that we had one of the dryest springs and winters on record."

New Jersey firefighters had to battle more than 500 fires just in the last six weeks, Ragonese said. The fires included a recent blaze in town , which burned 20 acres, and that same week, which resulted in damage to the Gables Inn and one of the buildings belonging to Surflight Theatre.

In comparison, there were 750 wildfires in New Jersey in all of 2011.

 

 

 

Related Topics: Fire Services and Rain

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?