Crews from eight departments battle Millbrook fire on Verbank Road

MILLBROOK — Volunteers from eight nearby departments assisted Millbrook firefighters in fighting a four acre brush fire on Verbank Road in Millbrook around noon Sunday, Nov. 10.

Volunteers representing Union Vale, Pleasant Valley, Dover, East Clinton, LaGrange, Amenia, West Clinton and Beekman assisted Millbrook volunteers in battling the blaze at 348 Verbank Road.

Millbrook Fire Chief Dominic Boscardin said a homeowner igniting a fire started the blaze that grew to four acres at its largest. At 4 p.m. responders had managed to get control of the fire and shrink it to under two acres.

Boscardin expected to be packed up by sundown.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation gave Dutchess County a high fire danger rating in late October. Towns and villages across the county, including Millbrook, have issued burn bans in response to the dangerously dry conditions. While these bans are in place it is forbidden to start a fire or do anything which could cause a fire to start. “All outdoor burning of yard waste, household paper products, bonfires, campfires, warming fires, outdoor fireplaces, chimneys, and cooking fires within said jurisdiction is prohibited,” according to Millbrook’s state of emergency declaration.

In addition to restricting outside burning, Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino also issued a statement with additional fire-starters to be mindful of. Cigarette butts should be carefully extinguished. Fireplace and woodstove ashes should not be discarded on the ground or in receptacles near your house. It’s also best to avoid parking over dry leaves and monitor power equipment for sparks and hot mufflers.

Eastern Dutchess County Fire and Rescue announced Saturday, Nov. 9, that New York State Parks and Recreation Firefighter Daniel Vasquez died fighting a fire in Orange County, New York. The Greenwood Lake fire has spread to over three square miles as firefighters struggle to contain the blaze.