Firefighters in New York said Sunday that a voluntary evacuation overnight helped them protect more than 160 homes from a stubborn wildfire near the New Jersey border as officials in much of the Northeast coped with hundreds of brush fires in tinder-dry and windy conditions.

ALBANY — The Northeast is facing an escalating wildfire threat, with conditions expected to worsen later this week. The Jennings Creek wildfire, which has scorched more than 3,500 acres near the New York–New Jersey border, is just one of many fires that have consumed thousands of acres across the region in the past two weeks.

An elevated risk for the spread of wildfires continues Monday as swathes of the Northeast grapples with blazes, winds, and dry conditions — but respite may come later this week with some much-needed rain.