Parts of New York State are currently under an advisory for elevated risk of fire, as and low humidity and overall dry weather make conditions for brush fires more likely.
On Wednesday, firefighters were tasked with containing and putting out a brush fire that spread over three miles in Schoharie County into Otsego County.
CBS 6 says the first report of the fire came in around 2pm Wednesday in the town of Richmondville. Approximately 100 fire and police officials spent the afternoon and evening battling the blaze, which was fueled by strong winds as the night went on.
Larry Fort, a resident of Richmondville told CBS 6 about situation:
The smoke was so bad through here you couldn’t see the neighbors houses or nothing. We kind of made sure everybody stayed in,” said Larry Fort
Nobody was injured, but some homes located near the flames were evacuated as a precaution. Fire officials say a brush fire could easily start just by a tossed cigarette or small ember or spark.
As of Thursday afternoon, there are areas where the fire is still burning and crews continue to fight and contain the blaze.
New York State has issued a burn ban through May 14th.
New York State police aviation helping assist in the Schoharie and Ostego County fires. We are on 24 hours of the fire burning, one 30 acres long have been contained, the other firefighters are still working to put out @CBS6Albany pic.twitter.com/uTw6fs8c97
— Ashley Dager CBS 6 (@ashleydagertv) April 13, 2023
This massive brush fire has spread across multiple miles in both Schoharie and Otsego Counties. Several hot spots, including this one by Smith Rd in Richmondville. Crews are still working to contain it. So much smoke in the area. @CBS6Albany pic.twitter.com/rKYqUrbFMh
— Briana Supardi (@CBS6Briana) April 13, 2023
Multiple crews help fight large #Schoharie County brush firehttps://t.co/kg7Mu0A1Ue pic.twitter.com/CB74XtUZRO
— NEWS10 ABC (@WTEN) April 13, 2023
Multiple large brush fires reported in Schoharie County https://t.co/Rdu7ZGzluB
— WNYT NewsChannel 13 (@WNYT) April 12, 2023
feature photo: Briana Supardi, Twitter Video