Brush fire spreads to woods in Murray

Photos by Tom Rivers
MURRAY – A brush fire at Red Rock Ponds on Canal Road in Murray spread to the nearby woods with at least one tree catching on fire.

In the top photo, Captain Dave Smith of the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Fire Company sprays water on the burning tree stump after firefighter Gary Sicurella cleared a path for Smith.

Gary Sicurella chopped down vegetation so other firefighters could get to the spot in the woods with a fire hose.

Firefighters had to wind the hose through the woods and many pricker bushes to get to the burning tree stump.

Firefighters from FHM were on scene at about 12:30 p.m. and put out the fire in the wooded area. Firefighters also extinguished the pile of brush that was burning.

Firefighter Patrick Hayes sprays water on the bigger pile of burning brush. Firefighters suspect a hot spark from that pile was blown into the woods, catching a tree stump on fire.

The National Weather Service has issued a “red flag warning” from noon to 7 p.m. today for western and northern central New York, saying the area is vulnerable to grass and forest fires.

Winds will move from southwest at 10 to 20 miles per hour with gusts up to 30 to 35 mph, the Weather Service said.

Temperatures in the high 70s to low 80s, combined with humidity as low as 25 percent, have made the forest and grass fuels very dry.

The combination of factors “may result in dangerous fire behavior,” the Weather Service said. “Any fires that do occur could spread quickly, burn intensely and be difficult to contain.”

The Weather Service reminded the public a burn ban is in place until mid-May.

Firefighters Debbie Fiorito, foreground, and Kevin Dann try to break apart the burn pile at Red Rock Ponds.

Firefighters were also called to brush, tree and grass fire this afternoon at East Shelby Road near Millville Cemetery in the Town of Shelby.