Why you still smell smoke in New Jersey and the New York area today

Don’t hold your breath – the smoky air and the smell of fire won’t dissipate quickly.

New Jersey residents woke up Friday to another day of haze and a distinct burning smell as crews continued to battle the Jennings Creek fire in Passaic County – and experts warned that winds were altering poor air conditions over New York City could.

The brush fire was about 75% contained as of Friday morning, according to FOX Weather meteorologist production assistant Joseph Davis.

“Anywhere directly south of that should be seeing some smoke right now,” he told The Post, noting that the air quality index for the eastern half of the Garden State is listed as “poor.”

The smoke spread across the water and could shift around New York City later Friday due to strong winds, Davis said.

Air quality in the Big Apple was fluctuating between “good” and “moderate” around 9:30 a.m., but those conditions could worsen if the New Jersey fire smoke comes just a few inches closer, he explained.

“The wind will shift more towards New York, we could see even worse air quality as the day progresses,” Davis noted.

Conditions were expected to continue into Saturday and Sunday – making for a hazy fall weekend across the region.

The threat of wildfires continues throughout the tri-state area, including parts of Pennsylvania and into Connecticut, Davis said.

“The increased fire authority extends quite a bit beyond the tri-state area because of the drought and winds,” he explained.

Over 20 million people in the Northeast were at risk of fire this week.

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service said Wednesday that the Jennings Creek fire will have burned up to 5,000 acres (7.8 square miles) once it is fully contained.

By midweek, nearly 2,300 acres (3.5 square miles) were burning in New Jersey alone – while firefighters in New York City were battling wildfires in Prospect Park and Inwood.

A 14-year-old boy was arrested last week for allegedly starting one of the New Jersey fires that destroyed 52 acres, police said.