Firefighters in New York said Sunday that a successful voluntary evacuation overnight helped them protect about 165 homes from forest fire It’s near the New Jersey border.

But the FDNY commissioner announced that the New York City fire department has taken the first step of its kind to create a brush fire task force to respond to what officials are calling a historic increase in brush fires across the five boroughs. The FDNY responded to 271 brush fires in the city from November 1 to November 14, marking the highest two-week period in New York history.

“Due to a significant lack of precipitation, the threat of rapidly spreading brush fires due to dry vegetation and windy conditions has led to a historic increase in brush fires in New York City,” Commissioner Robert S. Tucker said in a statement.

Windy conditions renewed forest fire On Saturday, it escaped a containment line, prompting emergency officials to implement a voluntary evacuation plan for a community near the border.

The evacuation, which was conducted “out of an abundance of caution” as firefighters continued to work to contain the Jennings Creek fire, affected about 165 homes in Warwick, New York, New York Parks Department spokesman Jeff Wernick said in an email Saturday night.

In a later email, Wernick said firefighters’ efforts were successful and no structures were in danger as of early Sunday afternoon. The voluntary evacuation will continue at least through Monday, allowing firefighters to continue their work.

The evacuation comes as communities in the Northeast and across the country are battling fires that escalated in late fall.

New England states were under a red flag warning for wildfires this weekend. The National Interagency Fire Center said fires in California, North Carolina and West Virginia were also concerning.

The New York City task force will consist of fire marshals, fire investigators and tactical drone units to provide rapid response to brush fires and assist with investigations to determine their cause.

Wildfire was 90% on Friday contains The border is in New Jersey’s Passaic County, and about 70% is in New York’s Orange County, officials said. New York increased the state’s rate to 88% on Sunday morning.

Wildfire burned 7 1/2 square miles (19.4 square kilometers) across two states As of Saturday, Wernick said New York Army National Guard helicopters had dropped 21,000 gallons (79,493 liters) of water and a New York State Police helicopter had dropped about 900 gallons (3,406 liters).

The fire burned primarily in Sterling Forest State Park, where the visitor center, lakeside area at Lake Greenwood and historic furnace site remained open but woodland activities, including hunting, were halted, Wernick said.

fire claimed his life The story of an 18-year-old New York City park worker who was hit by a tree while helping fight a fire in Sterling Forest on November 9th. The cause of the fire is being investigated.

In Massachusetts, where there are usually about 15 wildfires each October, there have been nearly 200 fires this year. State officials said that work is expected to continue due to weather conditions and drying of surface fuels.

The National Weather Service in Boston warned Sunday that a high fire risk remained in southern New England as high winds and dry conditions continued. Much-needed rain was expected in the region on Thursday.

Southern New Hampshire is also at risk of fire due to dry conditions and the risk of fire danger is “very high,” state officials said.

The southern part of the state also faces high fire danger conditions, the Maine Forest Service said. Much of the state was abnormally dry or facing moderate drought conditions.

Some relief may be seen in New York. The National Weather Service in Albany, New York, said Sunday that much of the region could see “widespread showers” of 0.5 to 1.5 inches starting Wednesday night.