State-wide burn ban in effect until Nov. 30
Photo by Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul: Gov. Kathy Hochul tours Greenwood Lake in Orange County on Tuesday, an area affected by wildfires.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has imposed a burn ban until Nov. 30 after wildfires have spread in parts of the state.
The Jennings Creek/Sterling Forest State Park fire has moved across 5,000 acres across New York and New Jersey, becoming the largest wildfire the state has faced since 2008. A New York State Parks employee was killed in this fire.
There are currently dry conditions throughout the state. Some controlled burns in Orleans County have recently turned into brush fires, needing firefighters to contain them from spreading, said Justin Niederhofer, the emergency management director for the county.
“Fire resources are stretched thin across the state responding to wild fires, and we have already had several brush fires here in the county that started out as control burns,” he said.
Hochul, in remarks on Tuesday, stressed the importance of public cooperation during these heightened fire risks. With the burn ban in effect, all brush burning, open fires, and uncontained recreational fires are prohibited until further notice.
