Brush fire sparked by illegal open burn destroys garage

TOWN OF ULSTER, N.Y. » An open burn amid an ongoing statewide burn ban sparked a brush fire that gutted a detached garage at a home on Stickles Terrace and set nearby woods ablaze, authorities said Sunday, May 1.

Fire Chief Shawn Heppner of Ulster Hose Co. No. 5 said firefighters were called to the home at 235 Stickles Terrace at 1:06 p.m. Sunday in response to reports of a brush fire. Firefighters found the garage and a 200-by-100-foot area of brush burning.

Heppner said it took firefighters about 30 minutes to extinguish the blaze, which he said was sparked by an open burn fire that quickly got out of control.

The garage and all belongings stored inside were a total loss, but there were no injuries, Heppner said.

Heppner said the incident could have had a much worse outcome, and he used the incident as a cautionary tale to area residents to always follow statewide burn bans. The current ban remains in effect through Saturday, May 14.

“The conditions are so dry, it spreads very fast,” he said.

The fire chief also said that rain doesn’t necessarily make things safer.

“Even if it rains, it only takes one day and it dries up and there’s a fire hazard,” he said. “On a breezy day it can only take a couple of hours and it’s the same hazard before it rained.”

Heppner said the state Department of Environmental Conservation was notified about the fire, but he was not sure as of Sunday evening if the residents were issued any tickets as a result of the blaze.

Firefighters were assisted by the Spring Lake and Hurley fire departments, Mobile Life Support Services and the town of Ulster Police Department.