Local firefighters joined units from as far out as Olive, Amenia, and East Fishkill to fight a persistent wildfire on Marlboro Mountain in Plattekill over the weekend.

The fire appears to have begun on the night of October 25, on the “Mount Zion” section of Hemlock Ridge on the mountain.

Just two days prior, Plattekill Town Supervisor Dean DePew declared a state of emergency “due to drought conditions” brought on by a three-week dry spell. While the DEC and the National Integrated Drought Information System both log the region as hovering below the official threshold for a drought, burn bans and red flag warnings were issued as many municipalities have braced for fire.Top of Form

The woodland fire was reported by the Plattekill Fire Department at night on Friday, as smoke and ash were seen “along Lewis Lane and upper portions of Unionville Road.” By the end of the weekend, the fire had grown to more than 55 acres. The fire stretched over multiple areas including Hemlock Ridge Multiple Use Area, where occasional high winds plus the “complex topography” characterized by “moderate to difficult terrain with steep drop off’s [sic], rock laden steep trail heads which are inaccessible by all-terrain vehicles” exacerbated the situation.

In addition to DEC and Forest Rangers, 40 fire companies were reported to have turned out, from Sullivan, Orange, Dutchess and Ulster Counties. At the operation’s peak, over 100 firefighters were on scene.

Local representatives included the Walker Valley, Pine Bush, Shawangunk Valley, Kerhonkson, Napanoch, Stone Ridge, and Bloomingburg fire companies. The Howells Fire Company sent a car and engine to Bloomingburg to hold down the fort while Bloomingburg Fire went up the mountain. Posts on Facebook also show an outpouring of donated food and thank you notes for the firefighters on the mountain.

As the fire grew over the weekend, Plattekill Fire characterized the dry, windy conditions as “a firefighting soup for a very dangerous firefighting effort.” Over time, the fire spread to include the town of Marlboro.

On Sunday, some units from Plattekill Fire Department, along with several other departments including Shawangunk Valley, were diverted mid-operation to put out a two-alarm structure fire elsewhere in town.

The Plattekill Fire Department declared the Mount Zion fire contained at 6:57 p.m. on Sunday night, after having battled it down to 46 acres. Units remain on scene to finish the operation. Over 45,000 gallons of water were brought up the mountain, mostly carried on ATVs and backpacks, and 29,000 gallons were used by handline nozzles. Helicopters dropped at least 21,000 gallons of water before being redeployed to another brush fire atop Nordkop Mountain in Harriman State Park.

Three firefighters were injured during the operation. The Journal could not identify them at this time.

On Friday, as the fire picked up strength, the University of Albany and the Department of Environmental Conservation debuted a new mapping tool allowing New Yorkers to see the risk of fire in their region. The high-tech tool is the most advanced warning system of its kind in the nation, indexing 127 weather stations across every county in the state.

Ironically, on the day of the tool’s launch, every single county in New York was listed at high fire risk – where they all remained until Tuesday, October 29, when the northern half of the state was reduced to a moderate risk level.

The Hudson Valley is still considered high risk. Meanwhile, many local burn bans remain in effect as the region nears the threshold of, officially, the driest October on record. The beginning of November is expected to bring some rain.

“Local Ulster, Orange and Dutchess County agencies have been chasing smoke investigations and brush all weekend,” Plattekill Fire said, “and it hasn’t stopped.”

As operations wound down on Monday, a brush fire was reported elsewhere in the town of Plattekill. “Not again!!!” wrote one Facebook commenter. “Plattekill Fire Department needs a break!!”

By Tuesday morning, all firefighters were off the mountain except DEC crew and Rangers finishing up operations. That evening, light rain finally fell over the Hudson Valley.