A brushfire broke out in an upper Manhattan park, scorching about 15 acres and taking more than 100 firefighters to bring the blaze under control.
The fire erupted around 2:23 p.m.Tuesday in Highbridge Park near 155th St. and Harlem River Drive, according to FDNY.
The three alarm blaze spanned 10-15 acres — the equivalent of 10-15 football fields — of extremely rocky and uneven terrain, making it difficult for firefighters to harness their equipment, FDNY Deputy Chief Joseph Duggan said at a press conference.
The brushfire was on a “very hilly section of the park with not a lot of hydrant or water sources.,” Duggan said.”So it was a labor intensive incident to get our folks and our equipment in place. We had approximately 138 firefighters and medics on scene, and it goes to a third alarm.”
Firefighters were able to get the fire under control by Tuesday night.
On Sunday, Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker announced the creation of a new taskforce to focus solely on combating brushfires, which are increasingly common as New York faces a historic drought.
“By creating this task force, we are taking real action to prevent brush fires from occurring, putting protocols in place to keep our members safe while they are in the field, and working to identify the causes of these fires after they happen to keep New Yorkers safe in the future,” Tucker said, calling on residents to be mindful of sparking brush fires amid the drought.
A massive blaze destroyed 4 acres of Manhattan’s Inwood Hill Park on Nov. 14.
Nearly all wildfires are sparked by humans, according to the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation. Pitching lit cigarettes, burning debris and other neglectful actions can easily spark a massive blaze fueled by dry leaves and high winds.
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