A string of wildfires across New York in late April is raising concerns about what’s sparking fires during one of the most dangerous times of year. Officials say many of them are preventable.
According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, forest rangers responded to multiple fires between April 23 and April 26, with causes ranging from illegal burns to equipment failures and roadside hazards.
Several fires burned between two and 11 acres and stretched across multiple regions of the state, including Otsego, Chenango, and Lewis counties. In one case, a landowner faces charges after conducting an unauthorized prescribed burn that spread through timber litter.
Another fire in Chenango County was caused by a power line, while a separate fire in Hamilton County resulted in a citation for violating the state’s seasonal burn ban.
One of the most unusual incidents happened in Warren County, where officials say a faulty catalytic converter sparked five separate roadside fires along Routes 8 and 28. More than a dozen responders, including 11 forest rangers and multiple local fire departments, were needed to contain the fires.
The incidents come as New York’s annual residential brush burning ban remains in effect through May 14, a period when dry conditions and dormant vegetation can allow fires to spread quickly.
State officials say the recent fires highlight how small mistakes, or mechanical issues, can quickly turn into larger emergencies.
Beyond enforcement, the DEC is also working to prevent larger wildfires through controlled, or prescribed, burns. Rangers and partner agencies intentionally burned hundreds of acres across the state last week to reduce excess vegetation and lower future fire risk.
Those planned burns are managed, but the unplanned ones are often avoidable.
Officials are urging residents to follow the burn ban and remain cautious with equipment and vehicles, especially in dry spring conditions when fire danger is elevated.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: What’s causing wildfires in New York? Officials cite preventable mistakes
Reporting by Ryan Miller, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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