A brushfire broke out in an higher Manhattan park, scorching about 15 acres and taking greater than 100 firefighters to carry the blaze below management.
The hearth erupted round 2:23 p.m.Tuesday in Highbridge Park close to one hundred and fifty fifth St. and Harlem River Drive, in accordance with FDNY.
The three alarm blaze spanned 10-15 acres — the equal of 10-15 soccer fields — of extraordinarily rocky and uneven terrain, making it troublesome for firefighters to harness their gear, FDNY Deputy Chief Joseph Duggan mentioned at a press convention.
The brushfire was on a “very hilly section of the park with not a lot of hydrant or water sources.,” Duggan mentioned.”So it was a labor intensive incident to get our people and our gear in place. We had roughly 138 firefighters and medics on scene, and it goes to a 3rd alarm.”
Firefighters have been capable of get the fireplace below management by Tuesday evening.
On Sunday, Fireplace Commissioner Robert Tucker introduced the creation of a brand new taskforce to focus solely on combating brushfires, that are more and more frequent as New York faces a historic drought.
“By creating this task force, we are taking real action to prevent brush fires from occurring, putting protocols in place to keep our members safe while they are in the field, and working to identify the causes of these fires after they happen to keep New Yorkers safe in the future,” Tucker mentioned, calling on residents to be conscious of sparking brush fires amid the drought.
A large blaze destroyed 4 acres of Manhattan’s Inwood Hill Park on Nov. 14.
Almost all wildfires are sparked by people, in accordance with the state’s Division of Environmental Conservation. Pitching lit cigarettes, burning particles and different neglectful actions can simply spark an enormous blaze fueled by dry leaves and excessive winds.
Initially Revealed: November 19, 2024 at 9:56 PM EST
