Early Morning Fire Roars Near New York’s Taconic State Parkway
2024 brought one of the most intense wildfire seasons New York has seen in over a decade.
The Jennings Creek/Sterling Forest State Park wildfire in Orange County brought first responder crews from all over to help battle the flames that went on to consume over 5,000 acres across New York and New Jersey.
Read More: NY Takes Drastic Action in Biggest Wildfire in 16 Years
This year's dry conditions helped feed the spread of over a dozen fires across New York State between October and November.
While these massive wildfires have calmed, burn bans have been ended and the area has seen some more moisture and rain, conditions are still considered fairly dry. This dryness helped the latest fire along the Taconic State Parkway this past weekend.
Fire Near Taconic State Parkway
According to the Briarcliff Manor Fire Department, they received word of a brush fire in the area of the Taconic State Parkway around 12:30 AM on Sunday, December 8th.
Multiple fire chiefs arrived at the Taconic only to see that smoke had been coming from an area just minutes East of the Taconic.
Upon arriving to the fire, the discovered it was a large pile of mulch and dry brush that had ignited. According to the Croton-on-Hudson Fire Department who was one of the 17 departments on the scene, the smoldering pile included "leaves, mulch and larger tree branches."
According to Briarcliff Manor Fire Department, 11 water tankers and 17 departments came to respond to the incident from as far away as Putnam and Orange County.
Video of the incident can be seen here:
10 Hidden Fire Hazards In Your New York Home You Need To Know
Gallery Credit: Kyle Matthews
Tips To Avoid Lithium-ion Battery Fires
More From WPDH-WPDA
