New York City awoke Saturday to the acrid smell of smoke that left a haze hanging over the skyline as several wildfires burned in the region, including a new blaze sparked in the early morning hours near the northern New York-New Jersey border.

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service battled the latest outbreak in Pompton Lakes, Passaic County, which as of midday Saturday had burned 100 acres and threatened 55 structures, the agency posted on social media.

No part of the fire was contained and efforts to halt its spread by state and local crews were hampered by strong, gusty winds. Chilly temperatures trapped smoke near to the ground and caused poor air quality in the region, leading state officials to issue a warning that going outside could be unhealthy for people sensitive to air pollution.

Multiple wildfires in New Jersey burned Saturday morning and sent heavy smoke throughout the region and firefighters fought to get a new blaze in Pompton Lakes under control. Christopher Sadowski
New York City awoke to haze and the acrid smell of smoke Saturday, as nearby wildfires burned in New Jersey. Robert Miller
The fires across the Hudson made NYC hazy and smoky. Robert Miller

A Forest Fire Service helicopter capable of dropping 350 gallons of water was deployed to the area Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, a 39-acre blaze near the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Englewood Cliffs, Bergen County, was 40% contained as of Saturday morning. No buildings were threatened in this fire, and the cause is still under investigation, officials said.

Elsewhere in the Garden State, fires that broke out Wednesday and Thursday in Jackson Township and Burlington and Camden Counties were both 90% contained. Crews remained on the scenes to address areas of concern until significant precipitation fell.

A 100-acre forest fire tore through Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, Saturday. Christopher Sadowski
NYC was under an Air Quality Health Advisory from the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation on Saturday. IQ Air

Smoke is expected to remain present until significant rain falls, according to the NJ Department of Environmental Protection.

The National Weather Service said the region could see up to a quarter inch of rainfall Sunday night, but that will do little to ease the situation. Parts of NJ have not had measurable rain in more than 40 days are experiencing extreme drought conditions.

New York City was placed under drought watch last week, after the driest October in recorded history. Drought watches are also in place for New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Police and fire rescue units responding to a brush fire at 1000 Cannonball Rd in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey Saturday. Michael J/FreedomNewsTV
A Forest Fire Service helicopter capable of dropping 350 gallons of water was deployed to Pompton Lakes, NJ. Michael J/FreedomNewsTV

Less than an inch of rain fell in the Big Apple last month, compared to the historical average of about 4 inches.

More than 100 firefighters responded to a two-acre inferno that broke out Friday night in a densely wooded area of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. It was snuffed out around 10 p.m.

The cause remains under investigation, FDNY said.

A passerby captured a brush fire burning in Prospect Park on Friday. Citizen

“It’s 70 degrees in November, and Prospect Park is burning,” Mayor Adams posted on X just after midnight on Saturday with photos from the scene of the brush fire.

“After the driest October on record, NYC is under a DROUGHT WATCH, which highly increases our risk of fires,” he added.

It’s been a firey week across the five boroughs.

Firefighters worked to extinguish a blaze that broke out in a wooded portion of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on Friday evening. Tim Novikoff via Storyful
Mayor Adams attended a press conference with officials on Friday regarding the Prospect park brush fire. Wayne Carrington
Earlier in the week, a brush fire ignited in Van Cortlandt Park near the Major Deegan Expressway. Citizen

Thursday, firefighters extinguished a brush fire that tore through a wooded area just blocks from Historic Richmondtown. It was the sixth such fire since Tuesday in the borough, including blazes that scorched a portion of Clove Lakes Park and another that swept through a large section of Brookfield Park in Great Kills, the Staten Island Advance reported.

On Monday, a brush fire broke out in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. The FDNY sent 12 units of 60 fire and EMS personnel to the scene near the Major Deegan Expressway, according to reports.

With the wind gusting up to 30 mph, the National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning the city, Long Island and the Lower Hudson Valley, until 6 p.m. Saturday stating, “Any fire that develops will catch and spread quickly.”

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