The New York City Fire Department controlled a brush fire at Gerritsen Beach on Saturday.
The Gerritsen Beach Volunteer Fire Department and the FDNY Marine Unit were on hand, along with the Police Department's Aviation Unit, which used bambi buckets to help extinguish the fire that was difficult to access, the FDNY said on X.
Winds gusts were high at around 40 mph on Saturday. No one was injured in the fire, the FDNY reported.
Meanwhile, firefighters contained multiple brush fires in Long Island this weekend. Governor Kathy Hochul on Sunday directed the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to implement an immediate burn ban for Long Island, New York City and parts of the Hudson Valley until the annual statewide ban on residential brush burning takes effect on March 16.
Counties include: Nassau, Suffolk, Richmond, Kings, Queens, Bronx, New York, Westchester, Putnam, Orange, Rockland, Dutchess and Ulster. The multi-regional burn ban prohibits the starting of outdoor fires for purposes of brush and debris disposal, as well as uncontained campfires and open fires used for cooking. Backyard fire pits and contained campfires less than three feet in height and four feet in length, width, or diameter are allowed, as are small, contained cooking fires.
