It’s as dry as it’s been in New York for 100 years. Central Park saw 0.01 inches of rain on October 29, the first rainfall of any kind that month (the average, if we can count on one anymore, used to be about four). Since then, nothing. The city declared a drought watch on November 2. The temperature reached 81 degrees on Halloween. And yesterday evening we became, for a small unsettling moment, California, where citizens routinely have to flee from burning brush even in relatively urbanized areas. Last night Prospect Park, smack in the middle of Brooklyn, caught fire.
According to news reports, it started in the Nethermead, at the center of the park, around 6:40 p.m. About 100 of FDNY’s people got it put out by midnight. Two acres burned; mercifully, no injuries. Nobody knows the cause yet, except in the broadest sense of “it’s too damn hot and dry right now.” One of our colleagues who lives north of the park says that, this morning, the cars parked on her block were covered in a fine layer of sooty ash. You could smell it as far away as midtown. Or was that Jersey we were picking up? Because 39 acres of the Palisades also burned that same night. The air is once again “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” a phrase just vague enough to reassure no one.
Drought Watch and Red Flag Warnings
New York City is under a drought watch, as a prolonged dry spell this autumn has depleted upstate reservoirs thanks to little measurable rainfall. The National Weather Service has also imposed a red flag warning, as the lack of rain, warmer-than-normal temperatures and low humidity have created conditions ripe for wildfires like the one in Prospect Park Friday evening — and similar, larger fires in northern New Jersey in recent days.
Officials Warn About Fire Dangers
Both Tucker and Mayor Eric Adams noted that the city is prepared to battle any brush fires that may arise around the five boroughs, and that city agencies are working closely together to respond to any emergency.
“I want to assure New Yorkers that we are prepared,” Mayor Adams said on X (formerly Twitter) Friday night. “Our specialized @FDNY brush fire units are equipped and ready to respond to these types of emergencies. But we’re also asking New Yorkers to do their part by conserving water and immediately reporting any fires by calling 911.”
Fire Crews Battle Blaze in Prospect Park
Part of Prospect Park in Brooklyn was engulfed by a brush fire on Friday evening, which has since been brought under control by the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).
Speaking at a press conference FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker commented “the fire’s under control,” adding firefighters would remain in the park overnight to ensure the blaze doesn’t reignite.
The fire broke out amid an ongoing drought in the northeastern United States, with the federal National Weather Service (NWS) imposing a Red Flag Warning across the region for Saturday, meaning there is an “increased risk of fire danger.”
The FDNY first posted about the fire on X, formerly Twitter, at around 8 p.m. ET on Friday commenting: “FDNY units are operating at a brush fire in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Operations are ongoing.”
This was accompanied by a photograph showing a large inferno situated behind a tree line in the park.
Later the FDNY said the blaze had become a “2-alarm fire,” meaning they requested assistance from other fire departments, adding that “drone technology to identity hot spots” had been deployed as well as “specialized brush fire units.”
Footage posted on X by New York City resident Tim Novikoff showed emergency services walking along a path with the fire having engulfed sections of a hilly area to one side.
Firefighters Respond to Blaze
Firefighters rushed to the park at about 6:40 p.m. on Nov. 8 to battle the blaze, which was first noticed by a passerby who called for assistance. The fire erupted inside the Nethermead — a wooded area a short distance from the Prospect Park Boathouse — amid an ongoing dry spell in New York City, which has not seen significant rainfall in more than a month and is under a red flag warning for dry conditions ideal for brush fires.
More than 100 firefighters came to the park to contain the brush fire at about 9:38 p.m. Friday evening. One firefighter suffered minor injuries. The Fire Department maintained units inside the park throughout the night to guard against any flare-ups.
Assessing the Damage
Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker noted that the blaze broke out in a heavily forested area of Prospect Park, a 526-acre urban oasis in the heart of Brooklyn with the borough’s oldest standing forest.
“There was never a threat to any civilian structures,” Tucker noted.
The Parks Department said Saturday it is assessing the damage and will “work with our partners at the Prospect Park Alliance to restore the forested area.”
Cause Under Investigation
Get used to that odor, and consider restocking N95 masks. Much more will be turned to ash in the next few years, including any hope of winding down the fossil-fuel era soon.
Fires Across the Northeast
The lack of rainfall and unusually warm conditions have led to a spate of wildfires across New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
On Friday, in an X post, the FDNY said: “Due to a historic lack of rainfall, New York City is under a drought watch.”
The department provided tips for saving water and urged New Yorkers to report any open fire hydrants.
Officials Seek Cause and Encourage Vigilance
At the press conference Tucker said the fire had affected an “extremely dense” section of Prospect Park, adding that no adjacent structures had been affected.
Tucker added: “Daylight will help us figure out the cause and origin of this fire.”
Posting on X New York Mayor Eric Adams said: “We’re monitoring a brush fire in Prospect Park where FDNY, NYC Emergency Management, and NYC Parks are on the scene.
“NYC is under a fire risk Red Flag Warning due to dry conditions and strong winds.
“We urge all New Yorkers to stay vigilant and call 911 if they see a fire. Any fire that sparks will catch and spread quickly in these conditions.”
On X the federal NWS’ New York office announced a Red Flag Warning for the northeast region on Saturday, adding: “Expect relative humidity as low as 30% and wind gusts up to 30 mph. Fires could start and spread rapidly—avoid any outdoor burning.”
Arid Conditions Contribute to Fire Risk
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration October was one of driest months in recorded U.S. history. The Southeast Regional Climate Center, which monitors precipitation rates, said cities such as Philadelphia, Newark and Delaware recorded no rainfall at all during the month.
The U.S. Drought Monitor reported that as of October 29 78 percent of Americans were living in areas under some level of drought control, the highest figure since records began 25 years ago. In Pennsylvania a 206-year old town which is usually submerged below Youghiogheny River Lake became visible again because of the dry conditions.
Get used to that odor, and consider restocking N95 masks. Much more will be turned to ash in the next few years, including any hope of winding down the fossil-fuel era soon.
A Call to Action
“We are encouraging New Yorkers to not throw cigarette butts on the ground. As [a] passerby did [Friday], report any fires you see. You shouldn’t be grilling in the parks, being aware of those things,” Emergency Managment Commissioner Zach Iscol said on the scene Friday night.
“Preserving water, monitoring air quality. This is the new normal of extreme weather. It’s not something we are expecting, but it’s something we need to be prepared for,” he added.
Officials said the drought watch could escalate to a drought warning if conditions don’t change soon.
Flames were also spotted in Highbridge Park in the Bronx Friday night. That fire was also brought under control within a few hours.
From Thursday night into Friday morning, a brush fire burned just across the Hudson River in New Jersey.
There is no measurable rain in the forecast until later next week.
