Municipal burn bans in place across Connecticut and New York

Municipal burn bans in place across Connecticut and New York
Alec Linden

“The little bit of rain we got overnight won’t put a dent in this,” said Kent Fire Marshall Timothy Limbos about the light showers that fell on the Northwest Corner on the night of Oct. 29.

Historically dry conditions persist across much of the Northeast, prompting officials in many municipalities to prohibit outdoor fires of any kind. As of Nov. 5, Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection lists all counties in the state as facing “extreme” fire danger, while New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation classifies the southern part of the state as under “high” fire risk, with northern and western regions under “moderate” and “low” designations.

In his 20 years as public information officer for Norfolk, Jon Barbagallo has never seen fire conditions as perilous as those that have developed this fall. “Fires happen every year in Connecticut, we just don’t see them to the extent that we see them now,” Barbagallo said.

On Oct. 25, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont declared a State of Emergency due to the critical fire conditions as the dry weather continues.

The National Weather Service predicts little to no rain over the next week for the region alongside unseasonably warm temperatures.

“It may stay this way for a while,” said Cornwall First Selectman Gordon Ridgway, who is also a volunteer firefighter. “The woods are much more volatile with the leaves on the ground,” he said, indicating that the recently fallen foliage has added another fuel source to the tinder-dry forest floor.

On Oct. 30, Ridgway issued a burn ban for the town of Cornwall, joining many other municipalities in the region that have placed similar restrictions. All Litchfield County towns except Hartland have declared burn bans as of Nov. 1 according to an NBC Connecticut Report, and the environmental protection department has imposed a burn ban on all state parks, forests, and wildlife management areas. In New York, the towns of Hillsdale, North East, Pine Plains, Amenia, Stanford, and Washington have also enacted emergency burn bans, barring all outdoor fire activity and nulling burn permits while the order is in place.

North East Town Supervisor Chris Kennan said in a public communication on Nov. 1 that “the town of North East, along with all the other towns around us, has issued an order prohibiting outdoor burning,” which will remain in effect until further notice.

In her Oct. 25 announcement, Stanford Town Supervisor Wendy Burton urged residents to keep their neighbors and first responders in mind as the unusual weather conditions continue. “Let’s protect our community and firefighters,” she said in the notice.

Legislators and fire officials were careful to drive in the message before holiday excitement distracted residents from the danger. “Please do not have any campfires during the Halloween festivities,” Limbos said.

A red flag warning was issued again for all of Connecticut and the lower Hudson Valley on Friday, Nov. 1, following an Oct. 26 red flag warning for all of southern New England. The warnings are short-notice alerts meant to notify fire officials that conditions are highly conducive to wildfire ignition and rapid spread, and are rare in the Northeast.

As of Nov. 3, the environmental protection department identifies two active fires in Connecticut, the fire burning on Lamentation Mountain in Berlin known as the Hawthorne fire, and a smaller blaze in Lebanon which is managed. The organization is also monitoring 95 fires across all regions of the state.

“It’s really good that this region has mutual aid,” Ridgway said.

Barbagallo is a testament to the collaborative nature of Connecticut’s response force, having been part of the Incident Command Post at the Hawthorne Fire since the Post was activated on Oct. 22.

Barbagallo said he was helping plan the wake and funeral for Wethersfield firefighter Robert Sharkevich Sr., who died while combating the Hawthorne Fire on Oct. 22, when he got a call that a car accident had ignited two brush fires on Route 44 in Norfolk. “I left the meeting that evening to go to Norfolk when I heard how big they were getting,” he said.

The Route 44 fires, which were caused by downed electrical wires, were extinguished after two hours, but their rapid growth left an impression on Barbagallo: “It really shows how dry the conditions are across the state.”

A swath stretching across the entire northern border of Connecticut, as well as a corner of Fairfield County, is currently experiencing “moderate drought” (D1) conditions, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System, a subsidiary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The area comprises 13.8% of the state’s land area and includes approximately 400,000 residents. The rest of the state is categorized as “abnormally dry” (D0) by the drought information system, alongside most of southern New York.

A small area surrounding the tri-state border in New York is also experiencing moderate drought.

NIDIS predicts that drought will persist in areas already experiencing D1 conditions in the region through November, and that drought conditions will continue to develop in D0 zones.

Until substantial rainfall arrives, Barbagallo asks residents to “be respectful of the guidance from the state and the local fire department.”

“We’re going to be the ones who have to put [the fires] out,” he said.

Latest News

A scenic 32-mile loop through Litchfield County

Whenever I need to get a quick but scenic bicycle ride but don’t have time to organize a group ride that involves driving to a meeting point, I just turn right out of my driveway. That begins a 32-mile loop through some of the prettiest scenery in northern Litchfield County.

I ride south on Undermountain Road (Route 41 South) into Salisbury and turn right on Main Street (Route 44 West). If I’m meeting friends, we gather at the parking area on the west side of Salisbury Town Hall where parking is never a problem.

Keep ReadingShow less
Biking Ancramdale to Copake

This is a lovely ride that loops from Ancramdale north to Copake and back. At just over 23 miles and about 1,300 feet of elevation gain, it’s a perfect route for intermediate recreational riders and takes about two hours to complete.It’s entirely on quiet roads with little traffic, winding through rolling hills, open countryside, picturesque farms and several lakes.

Along the way, you’ll pass a couple of farmstands that are worth a quick visit. There is only one hill that might be described as steep, but it is quite short — probably less than a quarter-mile.

Keep ReadingShow less
North East town records brought into the digital age

Chris Virtuoso reorganized parcel records in the North East Town Hall basement by parcel number during the process of scanning and digitizing the documents.

Photo by Grace DeMarco

MILLERTON — Within the walls of the two-story Victorian housing the North East Town Hall lies a room-full of town records dating back to the late 19th century. Stored in labeled cardboard boxes and protected by dehumidifiers, the records are in the process of being dated, organized, and scanned into categorized online programs.

As the Town Hall works to relocate to 5603 Route 22 at the former Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness, the consolidation and digitalization of records, as well as the disposal of those unneeded, is a time-sensitive project. Marcy Wheatley, the Deputy Town Clerk, emphasized their current heavy focus on organizing and scanning. “Now, when we move, we can get rid of a lot,” Wheatley stated.

Keep ReadingShow less
Fun, food and facts bring crowds to downtown Millerton

Nora Garcia, 6, of Millerton, bottom right, gets a face painting treatment from Maddy Rowe, a Webutuck High School senior. Nora’s sister, Juliana, 8, top right, is decorated by Giana Kall, a Webutuck senior. The program was sponsored by the Webutuck PTA.

Photo by John Coston

Correction: the Millerton News Street Fair was a collaborative effort between the Millerton News, the Millerton Business Alliance and the North East Community Center.

MILLERTON — Locals and visitors packed into downtown Millerton Saturday, June 28, for the first ever Millerton Street Fair hosted by the Millerton News, the Millerton Business Alliance and the North East Community Center. Representatives from local nonprofits, businesses along Main Street, Bee Bee the Clown and face painters from Webutuck High School drew in crowds all afternoon.

Keep ReadingShow less