Red Flag Warning Enacted in Central New York, Burn Ban Extended

The wildfire risk keeps increasing in the Mohawk Valley.

Several severe brush fires have broken out along the New York and New Jersey border amid a persistent streak of dry, windy weather.

Fires in Orange and Ulster Counties have burned through thousands of acres and forced Amtrak services to be suspended between Penn Station and New Haven, CT.

The fires, dubbed the Jennings Creek and Sterling State, have destroyed over 5,000 acres and are only 10 percent contained.

This is the largest wildfire in New York State since 2008, which was the Overlooks Fire in Ulster County, which burned through 2,855 acres.

So far the state hasn't enacted any mandatory evacuations, but 12 homes in the Town of Warwick were voluntarily evacuated out of an abundance of caution.

The state is also battling the Whitehouse Fire, which erupted in the Town of Denning. The blaze has consumed 630 acres and is 95 percent contained.

Governor Kathy Hochul warns more fires could break out as the state continues to suffer through an unprecedented lack of rain. Wet weather is not in the immediate forecast, but gusty winds and low humidity levels are.

This has pushed the state into a level 2 drought watch.

Because of this, Governor Hochul enacted a statewide burn ban that will remain in effect until December.

She said, "As we experience drought conditions and an increased fire risk across the State, now is not the right time to be burning outdoors, and I urge everyone to heed our warnings."

Although Central New York has received some rain, the fire danger persists and residents are urged to not burn brush until it is safe to do so.

In addition to a burn ban, the National Weather Service has placed the Mohawk Valley under a Red Flag warning until 6 p.m. tonight.

Red Flag warnings are also in effect for the Mid-Hudson, New York City, Long Island, Capital Region and part of the Southern Tier regions.

The warning could extend depending on weather conditions. Check the state Fire Danger Map for updates.

How Common Are Wildfires in NY?

Between 2007 and 2023, New York responded to an average of 117 wildfires a year.  The blazes consumed about 1,400 acres on average.

Many may feel this year has been an outlier for extreme weather. Case in point: New York reported 32 tornadoes in 2024, the most ever in a single year.

Wildfire danger was another constant throughout 2024, with blazes erupting as early as February.

Fire risk persisted well through March and into the spring because weather conditions remained dry and windy.

While this year has seen an uptick in wildfire activity, the largest blaze on record has yet to be challenged.

The Adirondack Fire of 1903 destroyed 600,000 acres and burned uncontrolled for six weeks.

Get our free mobile app