Wildfires burning on both coasts; Amtrak service disrupted in Northeast

Firefighters in California gained a foothold in the battle against a wildfire north of Los Angeles while weather officials on Tuesday issued red flag warnings across the Northeast, where two fires disrupted a popular train service between New York and Boston.

The Mountain Fire in California's Ventura County, whose explosive growth was fueled by 80-mph winds last week, has burned 32 square miles as of Tuesday. As winds slowed, firefighters raised the containment level to 48%, allowing officials to downgrade several evacuation orders.

The fire has torched over 200 homes and businesses and injured six people, according to Cal Fire, the state's firefighting agency.

In the Northeast, weather officials issued red flag warnings from New Jersey to Massachusetts after a modest amount of weekend rainfall brought only temporary relief to the drought-stricken region.

"A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and dry fuels will create a significantly elevated fire growth potential," the National Weather Service warned. "Any fire that develops will catch and spread quickly. Outdoor burning is not recommended."

Brush fire forces suspension of Amtrak service from Penn Station to New Haven

Amtrak said Tuesday afternoon a brush fire close to its tracks in the Bronx left trains in the area without power, forcing the agency to suspend the heavily used service connecting New York Penn Station to New Haven, Connecticut, for the rest of the day.

"Trains approaching New York Penn Station are being moved out of the area at reduced speeds using diesel-powered engines,'' Amtrak said in a 3:30 p.m. advisory. "Currently, there is no estimate for when normal operations will resume."

Chief of Operations Kevin Woods of the Fire Department of New York later clarified there were actually "two separate and distinct fires'' a quarter mile from each other, the second one at an Amtrak transformer. The heavy fires were eventually brought under control but required cutting power to the transformer and therefore the trains. The cause of the fires was under investigation.

Both of Amtrak's popular routes between Penn Station and Boston, the high-speed Acela and the Northeast Regional line, include a stop in New Haven. The agency urged riders to instead use the Metro-North Railroad, which was honoring Amtrak tickets.

Winds expand Jennings Creek fire, but progress made

The rain helped firefighters gain some control over the Jennings Creek Wildfire along the New Jersey-New York border, which had engulfed 3,500 acres of land and was 20% contained as of Tuesday morning. But strong winds on Tuesday raised new concerns the fire could expand.

"Today, Forest Fire Service crews will be met with significant challenges due to the forecasted weather," the New Jersey fire service said in a social media post. "A Red Flag Warning is in effect for the fire area with wind gusts forecast up to 35 mph."

Commander Christopher Franek of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service confirmed Tuesday afternoon the fire has grown in windy areas with no control lines, but said crews are still gaining ground in the "very steep, rugged'' terrain.

“We are making significant progress in securing our lines between both states,’’ said Franek, adding that two of the 10 buildings threatened by the blaze on the New Jersey side are residential.

On Monday, a memorial was held for Dariel Vasquez, an 18-year-old state parks employee who was fatally struck by a falling tree while battling the Jennings Creek blaze in Orange County, New York. Friends, family and community members gathered at the Ramapo High School baseball field at noon Monday to remember the recent graduate and star ballplayer.

Mountain Fire swallows homes in Southern California

Last Wednesday, Elvia and Norm Bauer grabbed their passports, medication and important documents and fled their home in Ventura County after they received an alert about the fast-moving Mountain Fire.

An hour or so later, the fire jumped Highway 118 near Camarillo Heights before hopscotching through neighborhoods, including the Bauers', in the hills above Camarillo. By the afternoon, the home Norm Bauer built in 1974 was gone.

"They both lost everything," Erika Bauer said of her parents. "I know that the house can be rebuilt. But all of our memories are there. All our pictures. Everything."

The Bauers were not alone. Residents said more than half the homes on their street were destroyed in the blaze. Fire officials raised preliminary damage totals on Tuesday, putting the number of homes and businesses lost in the fire at 207.

Read the full story here: Neighbors return to find more than half of the homes on their street gone

New York resident fears fire will spread as winds gain speed

From her home in Greenwood Lake, New York, Sue Ellen Crocco has watched smoke from the Jennings Creek Wildfire billow into the sky since Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, she's heard a constant rumble from helicopters as air and ground crews battled the blaze.

Crocco, who has lived in Orange County for about 25 years, said she has never seen such a large wildfire in her quiet village. As a dog walker, she often takes the neighborhood pets through strolls not far from where the blaze began.

"Everybody's packing their bags and getting ready, but nobody's really been evacuated yet," said Crocco, who has offered to take in her client's pets until the flames are doused.

During her morning walk Tuesday, Crocco said she could feel the winds pick up. The retired computer technician said she will closely monitor her phone in case she receives an evacuation order.

"I'm very scared because I'm on the opposite side of the fire, on the lake," she said. "It could jump over it, especially with the wind."

When will drought end? As Northeast wildfires keep igniting, is there a drought-buster in sight?

Wildfires burning in Connecticut and Massachusetts

About 82 brush fires were being monitored across Connecticut, said Will Healey, a spokesperson for the state's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont declared a Stage 2 drought advisory for the state's eight counties over the weekend, citing "far below normal precipitation levels and ongoing fire danger levels statewide," according to a statement from his office.

In Massachusetts, officials said firefighters were battling dozens of wildfires. In October, the state's Department of Fire Service recorded 200 wildland fires, a 1,200% increase from the month's average total of 15 fires.

Modest rain in Northeast forecast

A front from the Midwest is expected to arrive in the Northeast on Thursday and it could bring some tropical moisture to the region, possibly raising humidity levels. But it won't be the large storm required to bring sustained relief to the region, forecasters say.

"While that more active pattern will bring some opportunities for rain this week, it does not guarantee that every spot will get enough rain to keep the fire potential at bay," said John Feerick, a meteorologist with AccuWeather.

"Some locations could go at least a full week without a drop of rain," he said.

Just over a quarter inch of rain fell throughout the Mid-Atlantic region Sunday, marking the first rainfall in over a month for parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. But the relief was short-lived as the dry soil and leaves quickly absorbed the rain and again became fertile ground for fires, authorities said.

What is behind the blazes? Why have wildfires been erupting across the East Coast this fall?

Why are wildfire burning in the Northeast?

Wildfires burn thousands of acres in the Northeast every fall season, and the majority of blazes are attributed to human causes such as campfires, burning debris and cigarettes. What has meteorologists and state officials especially concerned this year is a record-setting dry spell that has fueled a sharp rise in wildfires and their explosive growth.

Trenton, New Jersey, went 42 days in a row without measurable rain until the spell was broken Sunday. The prior record was 36 in the fall of 1924. Philadelphia went at least 40 days without rain, breaking the record of 29 days set in 1874. Both New Jersey and Delaware reported their driest October on record this year, according to the National Weather Service.

Contributing: John Bacon, USA TODAY; Manahil Ahmad, Bergen Record; Alexandra Rivera and Nancy Cutler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News; Connor Linskey, Norwich Bulletin; Seth Jacobson, USA TODAY NETWORK - New England; Cheri Carlson, Ventura County Star

(This story was updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wildfires rage nationwide; Amtrak service disrupted in Northeast