According to the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), New York state's wildfire risk is high. The Stormville community in Dutchess County experienced a close call with a major brush fire on Monday night.

"I was the person who got woke up with all the activity," said homeowner Ken Renzler, who lives a few hundred feet from where a brush fire tore through 12 acres. "It was a little scary, because it was burning on the hill. The flames looked bigger than they really were."

What You Need To Know

  • A brush fire Monday spread to about 12 acres before it was extinguished

  • All four companies of the East Fishkill Fire Department responded to the scene, along with several other mutual aid fire companies

  • DEC officials surveyed the land Tuesday to make sure the fire was completely extinguished

A drone camera captured a picture of the ring of fire from above as firefighters battled the flames on foot below.

"It was a long way back in," Assistant Chief John Jackson of the East Fishkill Fire District said. "We made different attempts from different locations to try to get in with vehicles."

All four of the fire department's companies responded to the blaze. More than 50 firefighters from different departments, forest rangers, along with state troopers and local police hiked in through dense terrain to get to the fire.

"It was in the middle of the night, and the goal at that point was just get around it and secure the fire," said Jackson.

Renzler allowed Jackson to drive on his property to get closer to where the fire was. Forest rangers were there surveying the area on Tuesday to ensure the fire was completely extinguished.

It took about four hours to douse.

"The fire will start at a certain point and just grow out from there, and so as the leaves and brush and things burn, it just slowly progresses out, and so that’s why it just looks like a ring," said Jackson.

Officials don’t know exactly what started the fire.

"Accidents happen, but a lot of times, it's from carelessness," said Jackson. "Cigarette butts or leaving behind a hot campfire, or people will go out in the woods behind their house and dump hot ashes out of their stoves."

A statewide burn ban is in effect from March 16 until May 14, meaning all residential brush burning is prohibited to prevent wildfires.

Renzler said he didn’t worry about his home being damaged.

"They had a full response. I was amazed," said Renzler.

The DEC said small backyard fire pits, campfires and small cooking fires are allowed, but residents should never leave the fires unattended and must fully extinguish them.

For more information on the burn ban and other ways to prevent forest fires, you can go to DEC.ny.gov.