Map shows fire danger across NY today
NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) – As the Jennings Creek fire rages on in New York and New Jersey, officials warned the risk of fire sparking across much of the state remains high.
New York fire officials have designated all of New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley and Catskill to be in high fire danger Tuesday. A map of the state’s fire risk shows some northern counties like Clinton and Essex and the eastern edge of the state also have a high risk of fire Tuesday.
A "high" fire danger designation means fires can spark easily from most causes and spread rapidly, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation. Any unattended brush and campfires are likely to spread, and all fires could become serious unless they are “attacked successfully” while they’re still small, officials said.
The state's designations range from low to extreme. The rest of the state is designated to have "moderate" and "low" fire danger on Tuesday.
Moderate risk means fires could spread in windy conditions depending on where they are, but many aren’t likely to start. Fire control is expected to be “relatively easy” at moderate fire risk, but bad conditions could still make a fire spark and spread. A low fire risk, on the other hand, means fires are unlikely to ignite easily.
Fires have broken out across the region over the last week, including a brush fire in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. In the Catskills, a fire broke out near New York City's water supply over the weekend.
The largest fire is the Jennings Creek fire, which has burned at least 5,000 acres and killed one person, fire officials said Monday.