The city’s fire commissioner on Wednesday urged New Yorkers to remain vigilant about fire prevention following a record number of brush fires across

FDNY sees record number of brush fires amid drought

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2024-11-14 17:00:17

The city’s fire commissioner on Wednesday urged New Yorkers to remain vigilant about fire prevention following a record number of brush fires across the city.

The FDNY responded to 229 brush fires between Oct. 29 and Nov. 12, marking the highest number recorded in a two-week period in city history, FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker said.

The Bronx reported the most brush fires, with 67 extinguished. Queens followed with 56, Brooklyn had 51, Manhattan recorded 24 and Staten Island reported 17.

“Remarkably dry conditions in October and so far in November have resulted in a historic amount of brush fires over the last two weeks, and we need the public to remain vigilant,” Tucker said in a statement.

He added that the lack of significant rainfall, dry vegetation and windy conditions lent themselves to fast-spreading brush fires, similar to one seen in Prospect Park on Friday.

The five boroughs entered a “drought watch” on Nov. 2 — the first stage in a sequence of drought advisories — with city officials calling for voluntary water conservation to prevent an emergency.

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