Wildfire, Morris
- When
- November 6, 12:00 PM EST to 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Morris County, Parsippany
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 40.862, -74.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire in New Jersey, November 6, 1997
A 100 acre wild fire in Parsippany forced the evacuation of 354 students from the Troy Hills Elementary School and injured a fire fighter battling the blaze. The fire began about noon EST in the Troy Meadows Preserve in seven separate locations.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS PHI wrote it up.
A 100 acre wild fire in Parsippany forced the evacuation of 354 students from the Troy Hills Elementary School and injured a fire fighter battling the blaze. The fire began about noon EST in the Troy Meadows Preserve in seven separate locations. Authorities suspected arson. The run of dry weather throughout 1997 helped the fire spread quicker. Police blocked several roads near the preserve. The fire was declared under control at 3 p.m. EST.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Wildfire
- A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
More
Every storm in New Jersey in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, November 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5626151.