New York Governor Issues Burn Ban In Response To Drought And Fire Incidents

On Tuesday (November 12), New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced a statewide burn ban immediately in effect through November 30th, 2024. The month of October was one of the driest months on record for the Empire State.

New York State is currently experiencing drought conditions. As of Tuesday, according to the Governor's Office, multi-agency responses were deployed to fires in Orange and Ulster counties in the state to assist local fire departments and first responders.

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The Jennings Creek/Sterling State Park wildfire encompasses 5000 acres in both New York and New Jersey and was 10 percent contained. In Ulster County, 95 percent was contained in the Town of Denning.

It's absolutely critical that New Yorkers avoid any outdoor burning at this time. We have announced — we're announcing today (November 12) a statewide burn ban because the threats are too great. And we cannot have our resources directed to smaller fires. We need everybody, all hands on deck on the major scale fires we have right here. So I'm asking everyone to comply with this until further notice. What that means is to completely avoid outdoor burning. Don't leave any campfires, but you should not have campfires in the first place. So don't leave them unattended, but don't have them. Exercise extreme caution with outdoor grills and report fires immediately. New York State Governor Kathy Hochul

According to Governor Kathy Hochul, New York State is now under a drought watch at level two of five on the state's drought scale. Hochul noted that this requires water conservation, and has asked all New Yorkers to participate, but reminds residents that this is not a cause for panic.