The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) has now contained a brush fire that consumed a portion of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on Friday night.
During a press conference “The fire’s under control,” said FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker, adding that firemen would stay in the park overnight to make sure the fire doesn’t start again.
Since the fire started, the northeastern United States has been experiencing a drought. The federal National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Red Flag Warning for the area for Saturday, indicating a “increased risk of fire danger.”
Around 8 p.m. ET on Friday, the FDNY made the first comment regarding the incident on X, formerly Twitter: “FDNY units are operating at a brush fire in Prospect Park in Brooklyn.” The operations are still going on.
A picture of a sizable fire in the park, hidden behind a tree line, was included with this.
The FDNY then declared that the fire was now a “2-alarm fire,” requesting aid from other fire departments and stating that “specialized brush fire units” and “drone technology to identify hot spots” had been used.
Tim Novikoff, a resident of New York City, shared footage on X of emergency personnel strolling down a path while the fire consumed portions of a mountainous terrain to one side.
Although no nearby structures were impacted, Tucker stated during the news conference that the fire had impacted a “extremely dense” area of Prospect Park.
Tucker continued: “Daylight will help us figure out the cause and origin of this fire.”
Sharing on X “FDNY, NYC Emergency Management, and NYC Parks are on the scene of a brush fire in Prospect Park,” stated New York Mayor Eric Adams.
Because of the dry weather and high winds, New York City is under a Red Flag Warning for fire danger.
“Everyone in New York is urged to remain alert and dial 911 in the event of a fire. Under these circumstances, any fire that starts will immediately catch and spread.
On Saturday, the federal NWS New York office issued a Red Flag Warning for the northeast, stating: “Relative humidity could drop as low as 30% and wind gusts could reach 30 mph.” Avoid burning outside as fires have the potential to start and spread quickly.
October was one of the driest months on record for the United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Cities like Philadelphia, Newark, and Delaware saw no rainfall at all during the month, according to the Southeast Regional Climate Center, which keeps track of precipitation rates.
As of October 29, 78 percent of Americans lived in areas under some degree of drought control, the greatest percentage since records began 25 years ago, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Due to dry weather, a 206-year-old hamlet in Pennsylvania that is often submerged beneath Youghiogheny River Lake was once again visible.
Unusually warm weather and a dearth of precipitation have caused a wave of wildfires across Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.
“Due to a historic lack of rainfall, New York City is under a drought watch,” the FDNY stated in an X post on Friday.
In addition to offering water-saving advice, the department asked New Yorkers to report any open fire hydrants.
