A teenager employed by New York’s state parks department died while fighting a wildfire near the New Jersey border in Orange County on Saturday.
Dariel Vasquez, 18, was killed when a tree fell on him while he was battling a blaze near Greenwood Lake, according to Eastern Dutchess County Fire and Rescue.
New York State Police said they would investigate Vasquez’s death. The department described Vasquez as a parks and recreation aide with the New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Department.
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of one of our New York State Parks employees while responding to a wildfire in Orange County yesterday,” Gov. Hochul said Sunday in a statement. “I commend his dedication to serving and protecting his fellow New Yorkers, and his bravery on the front lines.”
The deadly blaze, dubbed the Jennings Creek Fire, covered 2,500 acres and was 0% contained as of Sunday morning, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
It continued burning near Greenwood Lake, which straddles the border between New York’s Orange County and New Jersey’s Passaic County. However, no evacuations were ordered.
Several wildfires were burning throughout the New York-New Jersey area on Sunday, the products of extremely dry conditions after hardly any rain fell in the area in October.
Another fire in Passaic County, the Cannonball 3 Fire near Pompton Lakes, was 75% contained by Sunday morning, according to New Jersey’s fire service. That fire was significantly smaller, only burning about 175 acres.
An air quality alert was issued for all five boroughs, Westchester County and Rockland County because of smoke from the fires. New Yorkers were advised to limit strenuous outdoor activity. Though rain was expected Sunday night, fire danger was expected to remain high into Monday and Tuesday.
Vasquez had just graduated from Ramapo High School in June, according to an online fundraiser for his family. He was a captain on the school’s varsity baseball team and planned to start college in January.
“Dariel’s sudden passing has left a void in our family and community, yet his legacy of love and courage remains an enduring source of inspiration,” his family wrote. “We remember him as a true hero – someone who lived his life with purpose, who put others before himself, and who sought to bring hope and positivity wherever he went.”
By Sunday afternoon, the fundraiser had already hit $22,000, more than double its initial $10,000 goal.
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