New York DEC Rangers Uncover Cause of Putnam County Wildfire

On Friday, January 3, Forest Rangers from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) got word of a fire happening at a Greenhouse in Putnam County.

Rangers not only responded to the fire but they were also able to uncover how the fire started, which serves as a great reminder for all in terms of items that should never be thrown out with regular garbage.

DEC Forest Rangers Respond to Fire in Putnam County

The fire was initially reported around 2:15 PM on January 3rd. Rangers arrived at the scene of the fire which happened to be behind Peterson's Patterson Greenhouses in Patterson.

According to the DEC's Forest Rangers - Week in Review, the fire consumed approximately 1 acre of swampy land. 5 rangers in total joined efforts to avoid the fire from spreading beyond the 1-acre proximity.

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While the Hudson Valley is no longer considered to be in a drought after November's dangerous dry spell and many burn bans have been dropped, it took rangers until the morning of January 5th for the fire to be considered "fully contained."

What Caused Putnam County Fire?

Initially, rangers believed the fire to have been started by a stray ember that "had likely blown from a burn pile at the nursery" according to the DEC.

After investigating, rangers discovered that there were multiple items in a permitted burn pile that should not have been there.

Businesses are eligible to apply for burn permits from their towns to dispose of certain waste. However, this particular burn pile also had a couch, polystyrene, and spray cans - all items that are not covered in a burn permit due to the danger they pose.

A ticket was issued by the Environmental Conservation Police.

Items That Should Never Go in Your Household Trash

While households don't typically have burn permits, there are items that can pose a real hazard if thrown into your regular garbage.

Last year alone, there were multiple preventable house fires in the Hudson Valley caused by items wrongly discarded in the trash.

Read More Here: Westchester House Fire Serves As Reminder to Never Throw These Items Into Your Garbage