Over 200 forest rangers, firefighters and first responders continue to battle three fires on the Shawangunk Ridge. A Tuesday night rainstorm slowed the spread of the Napanoch Point wildfire in Ulster County, but didn't stop it. As of Wednesday, 270 acres were still burning in the Minnewaska State Park Preserve.
"We got a fair amount of measurable rain, somewhere around two inches last night, which seems like a lot of rain and it does a really good job of cooling the fire down, but it doesn’t put that fire out because it's very deeply seated in the ground," said New York Park Ranger Robbi Mecus, Napanoch Point fire incident commander.
On Tuesday, bystanders could spot smoke billowing on the mountain from Route 209. On Wednesday afternoon, it was hard to spot any smoke.
But Mecus said that will change.
What You Need To Know
- If you see a wildfire, call 911
- According to the DEC, the fire is now 20% contained
- The highly flammable vegetation, steep terrain and changing weather conditions is making it difficult to contain the fire
"Within a day or two, the fire will pick up and start moving again," Mecus said.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation said due to changing fire and weather conditions, no one knows when the fire will be under control.
Earlier this week, two New York Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopters and two New York State Police helicopters completed over 160 bucket drops over the affected area.
"Sunday, it was a much smaller fire," Mecus said. "We tried to fight it with a direct-attack strategy, fighting it very close to the black perimeter of the fire line. The fire was moving too fast, and it was too hot to do that. We're developing a larger containment strategy that will enable us to put good control lines in."
Ulster County Sheriff Deputy Jim Slinsky is among the people on the ground trying to contain the fire. He provided videos of what crews are facing.
In a log of his day on Tuesday, Slinsky wrote, “At times, we grabbed rakes or shovels and helped fight the fire...it doesn’t matter what agency you’re from, in times like this, everyone pulls together and we work as one.”
While no residential homes are at risk, Slinsky shared a video of efforts to save a hunting cabin on the mountain.
Two New York State Thruway members were deployed to the scene, and were using a thruway bulldozer to help cut fire lines. But Mecus said they will need more time to fully contain and control the fire.
"I anticipate being here for at least one to two weeks more," Mecus said.
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