New York burn ban issued amid dry weather
Firefighters battle a wildfire in Westhampton Beach in March. The state has issued a burn ban due to dry weather. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
For the next two weeks, large outdoor fires are banned in all of New York State, to reduce the risk of wildfires. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Amada Lefton, the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, announced the burn ban Thursday after weeks of unusually dry weather across most of the state.
Outdoor fires for burning brush or other material and other uncontained fires are all forbidden until at least Oct. 15. Backyard firepits and contained campfires less than 3 feet high and 4 feet long or in diameter are allowed, and small, contained cooking fires also are permitted.
Burning garbage and leaves is already prohibited in New York.
"Many regions are already in a drought watch or warning due to the dry conditions, and with the fire risk rising in some parts of the state, it is important to keep everyone safe by implementing this temporary burn ban," Hochul said in a statement announcing the ban.
Eight counties in the Adirondack regions and four in the southern tier are in drought warning. Long Island and the rest of the state, except Westchester and New York City, have drought watches, the least severe advisory.
A wide swath of the state, from the north country to the Upper Hudson to western New York now have a "high danger" fire rating, which means "fires start easily from most causes, including unattended brush and campfires," the governor's office said in a statement. The rest of the state is rated a "moderate" fire danger.
In the past two months, state forest rangers have fought 64 wildfires.
According to NOAA’s drought monitor, Long Island is in a period of moderate drought. In the past 60 days, much of central Long Island has had 25% to 50% of normal precipitation, compared with 1991 to 2020, according to NOAA data.
The governor said the burn ban will be reevaluated after Oct. 15.
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