Governor Hochul implements temporary statewide burn ban

Governor Hochul implements temporary statewide burn ban

The LED sign in front of Amenia's Town Hall on Route 22 warns passing motorists of the current temporary burn ban, in effect from Oct. 2 to Oct. 15.

Photo by Nathan Miller

A statewide burn ban is in effect as of Thursday, Oct. 2, the New York State Governor's office announced in a press release.

The temporary ban is in effect until at least Oct. 15, and the statement released by the governor's office said the restrictions will be re-evaluated prior to the Oct. 15 deadline.

Lighting fires for brush or debris disposal and large, uncontained fires for cooking or other purposes are banned until at least Oct. 15 under the statewide order. Backyard fire pits, contained camp fires no larger than 3 feet in height and 4 feet in diameter, and small, contained cooking fires are still permitted under the burn ban.

New York State has faced dry conditions all autumn, triggering drought watches and warnings across most of the state.

Dutchess County, along with the other counties in the Catskills region, are under a drought watch according to the Department of Environmental Conservation's drought condition map.

Dutchess County is currently under a "high" fire danger rating, according to the DEC.

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