Tragedy Strikes: New York Parks Worker Dies Combating Wildfire

A series of wildfires have recently affected Orange County, New York, claiming the life of a young state parks employee.

An 18-year-old parks system worker, Dariel Vasquez, tragically lost his life on Saturday while attempting to extinguish a forest fire at Sterling Forest in Greenwood Lake, as reported by State Police. The exact circumstances surrounding his death remain undetermined.

Sterling Forest, the location of the blaze, lies roughly 50 miles to the northwest of New York City.

The Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, announced on Saturday that efforts were in motion to control two separate fires within the park. The larger of these fires had spread across 300 acres, reaching into New Jersey territory, while a smaller fire covered an area of approximately nine acres near the Appalachian Trail.

As of early Sunday, it remained unclear which specific fire was linked to Vasquez's death or if either fire had been fully controlled. Nonetheless, authorities in Warwick, a nearby town, assured residents late Saturday that the larger fire did not pose a threat to residential areas.

Throughout the weekend, multiple wildfires were reported in the surrounding areas.

In response to wildfires, New York issued a statewide smoke advisory on Friday. Over the weekend, parts of Brooklyn, particularly Prospect Park, were enveloped in smoke. The Department of Environmental Conservation extended the advisory to include Rockland County and Westchester County until midnight on Saturday.

Additional Context

Hank Sanders, a journalist with The Times and a participant in the 2024-25 early-career program for journalists, covered this developing story.