Gusty winds and low humidity are helping fuel wildfires in the Northeast, with cities across the region on high alert Saturday.

Red flag warnings – which indicate an increased risk of fire danger due to warm temperatures, very low humidity and stronger winds – were in effect in some Northeast cities until after Saturday. noon.

A number of cities in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island will be placed under a red flag between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

The vegetation in the region remains very dry. The region is behind about 6 to 8 inches in precipitation since September 1st. A cold front is expected to move through the area Sunday, bringing up to 1 inch of rain.

A Bush fire in Prospect Park in Brooklyn burned Friday night after about 2 acres of dry vegetation ignited during strong wind gusts, New York City firefighters said the. Firefighters worked through the night to put out the fire.

“This has been a historically dry period for New York City and more than 100 brush fires have occurred this month alone,” the FDNY said.

In Pennsylvania, firefighters are working to control a fire that broke out in Berks County due to dry and windy conditions. The fire broke out around 11:30 p.m. Friday on Neversink Mountain in Reading, where smoke could be seen rising from the fire.

The fire prompted the evacuation of nearby residents to Amanda E. Stout Elementary School, according to Reading Mayor Eddie Morán.

“The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Forestry Division will lead the firefighting and cleanup operation, which is expected to continue for several days, coordinating additional resources as needed,” Morán said .

Two fires are burning in Passaic County, New Jersey: the Cannonball 3 wildfire in Pompton Lakes and the Jennings Creek wildfire in West Milford, the latter of which is also burning in part of Orange County, New Jersey. York.

THE Cannonball 3 Wildfire’s 175 acres are 75% containedaccording to the New Jersey Wildland Fire Department. Fifty-five structures are threatened by the fire, the cause of which is under investigation.

The fire is on private property owned by the DuPont chemical company, New Jersey Wildland Fire Chief Bill Donnelly said at a news conference Saturday.

Authorities were first informed of the fire around 3 p.m. Friday and “over time it began to expand with the wind,” Mayor Mike Serra said at the news conference.

A DuPont representative did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment Saturday evening.

The Jennings Creek fire, which Donnelly said firefighters first spotted Friday as it headed toward New York, has already burned 2,000 acres and threatens 10 structures. It is 0% contained.

Donnelly said winds changed overnight, pushing the fire across the border into New Jersey. Two helicopters and 33 firefighters are working to put out the fire, he said.

The fire is the largest this year, Donnelly said, and it’s unclear how it started.

A state ranger died Saturday while battling the fire in Greenwood Lake, New York, the Plattekill Fire Department said.

A tree fell on the ranger, killing him, Eastern Dutchess County Fire and Rescue said. That didn’t identify him.

“Rip brother, your shift is over, job well done,” Eastern Dutchess County officials said.

The New Jersey Wildland Fire Department responded to more than 400 fires last month and about 40 fire calls Friday and Saturday, Donnelly said, noting that some are still burning while others have been brought under control.

Donnelly said that around this time last year, the department responded to 27 fires that burned a total of just eight acres over a two-week period. But in the past month, he said, they have responded to more than 400 fires covering more than 800 acres, a result of dry conditions.

Another 39-acre wildfire burns in Bergen County is 75% containedaccording to the state fire department.

One of the biggest issues for New Jersey firefighters is the “reburn factor,” Donnelly said, noting that some fires that started in July are burning again.

Active wildfires have triggered air quality alerts in New Jersey and New York as residents are discouraged from strenuous outdoor activities.

On the West Coast, the Mountain Fire continues to burn in Ventura County, California, and spans more than 20,600 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). The fire was 21% contained at the time. 5:29 p.m. PT. Its cause is under investigation.

Air quality alerts are in effect across Southern California due to smoke from wildfires.

CORRECTION (November 9, 2024, 7:46 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the name of a fire burning in Passaic County, New Jersey, and Orange County, New York . This is the Jennings Creek wildfire, not the Jennings Creed wildfire.