POMPTON LAKES, N.J. >> Fire crews on both coasts of the United States battled wildfires Monday, including a blaze in New York and New Jersey that killed a parks employee and postponed Veterans Day plans, and another in Southern California that destroyed more than 130 structures.

Firefighters continued making progress against a wildfire northwest of Los Angeles in Ventura County that broke out Wednesday and quickly exploded in size due to dry, warm and gusty Santa Ana winds.

The Mountain Fire prompted thousands of residents to flee their homes and was 31% contained as of late Sunday, up from 26% the previous day. The fire’s size remains around 32 square miles. The cause is under investigation.

Some people have been allowed to return to their homes, “but road closures, evacuation warnings, and orders remain in effect in some areas,” according to the Ventura County Fire Department. “Certain areas are open to residents only. As you return home, please watch for hazards such as live power lines and debris.”

Meanwhile, New York State Police said they were investigating the death of Dariel Vasquez, an 18-year-old state parks employee who died when a tree fell on him Saturday afternoon as he battled a major brush fire in Sterling Forest, in New York state’s Greenwood Lake near the New Jersey line.

“Rip brother your shift is over job well done,” a New York State forestry services post said.

New Jersey’s state forest fire service said Sunday that the blaze — dubbed the Jennings Creek Wildfire — was threatening 25 structures, including two New Jersey homes. It had grown to 4.7 square miles and was 10% contained as of Sunday night.

In West Milford, New Jersey, a Veterans Day ceremony was postponed to later in the month because of the firefighting effort, said Rudy Hass, the local Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. commander.

“Many of those personnel currently engaged with the fires are veterans themselves, and right now we need to keep them in our thoughts as they spend many hours, day and night, doing all they can in order protect our great communities in that area,” he posted online.