Firefighters on two U.S. coasts were making progress Saturday on wildfires in California and New Jersey. Southern California firefighters were gaining ground on a wildfire that destroyed more than 130 structures as gusty winds subsided Saturday with favorable weather conditions expected through the weekend. The Mountain Fire in Ventura County was held at about 83 square kilometers and was 17% contained, Fire Operations Section Chief Clint Swensen said. The fire broke out Wednesday and exploded in size thanks in part to the arrival of dry, warm and gusty northeast winds, forcing thousands of residents to flee and threatening 3,500 structures in suburban neighborhoods, ranches and agricultural areas around the community of Camarillo. Red flag warnings indicating conditions for high fire danger expired in most of the region Thursday. Smoky air hung over the area Saturday thanks to light winds, the very conditions that were aiding firefighters, said Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “It’s very favorable for the weekend,” Kittell said. “Good for firefighting efforts but not great for air quality.” Some forecasts showed winds returning to the area Tuesday but not to the extent seen last week, Kittell said. The region northwest of Los Angeles, California, has seen some of the state’s most destructive fires over the years. Across the country in New Jersey, firefighters were reporting “substantial progress” against a wildfire that was threatening dozens of structures, one of a number of forest fires they are fighting in the state. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Forest Fire Service said Saturday afternoon that the fire in the Pompton Lakes area of Passaic County had been 50% contained. The blaze is burning more than 65 hectares and is threatening 55 structures, although no evacuations have been ordered. Earlier, the blaze prompted closure of the right lane of northbound Interstate 287, officials said. The Forest Fire Service was battling the blaze with fire engines and ground crews and a helicopter capable of dropping 1,325 liters of water, officials said. Structures were being protected by local fire companies, they said. Officials also reported fighting a new wildfire that has ignited across more than 728 hectares near the New York-New Jersey border in Passaic County’s West Milford and Orange County, New York. The Jennings Creek wildfire was threatening two homes and eight buildings in the Long Pond Ironworks Historic District. An earlier wildfire in the Bethany Run area on the border of Burlington and Camden counties in Evesham and Voorhees townships was reported 90% contained. A blaze along the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Englewood Cliffs in Bergen County, across the Hudson River from New York, was reported 40% contained and threatened no structures. The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning, saying gusty winds and low humidity could help spread fires quickly. New Jersey has not received measurable precipitation in over a month, the weather service said, setting a record.
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