Greenport firefighters battle Jennings Creek Fire
GREENPORT, COLUMBIA COUNTY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Scorched earth along the New York/New Jersey State line. What’s been dubbed the Jennings Creek Fire has burned at least 2700 Acres — and that’s just in the Empire State — according to Governor Hochul.
“It's intense. You have a lot of smoke, you have a lot of heat. You're working hard in the middle of the woods to contain the fire,” said Captain Ryan Wexler of Beacraft Pump Company No. 2.
Ryan Wexler, Gary Mazzacano, and Mark Taylor were part of a crew from the Greenport Fire House in Columbia County that went to Orange and Sullivan Counties to battle the blaze. It took a crew of 32 people and six fire departments to fight the unprecedentedly large wildfire. Fortunately, natural resources came to the rescue.
“Greenwood Lake was right there it's a nine-mile long lake and we had plenty of water there was plenty of water,” said Greenport Fire District's past chief Gary Mazzacano.
But Mother Nature helps, and she hurts.
“In the morning the wind came up and started some other issues and we continued to wet down,” Mazzacano continued.
As a statewide burn ban continues, District Chief Mark Taylor urges residents to adhere:
NEWS 10's Zion Decoteau: “Obviously no campfires?”
Mark Taylor: “Yeah, nothing none of it!”
Mark Taylor: “No open burning even little burn pits.. embers can't happen...You really want to make sure that you're not chucking a cigarette out a car window”
Even after Jennings Creek and the multitude of statewide fires are doused, concern continues.
“I'm concerned that with climate change which is obvious that there's the possibility of future wildfires and we just have to do what we can as a community to prevent fires from happening,” Wexler added.
Was Wexler worried about his safety during his time on the front lines?
“It's just part of the job!” said Wexler. "It's just second nature" he added.
Greenport’s fire’s work is not over yet. On Wednesday Morning, they may send a crew for a 72-hour deployment to continue battling the Jennings Creek Fire.