Troublesome hotspots kept volunteer firefighters busy Saturday in Rockland County a day after two dozen brush fires, some reaching heights of 30 feet, scorched acres of land and raced toward homes.
Dramatic scenes played out Friday afternoon in Congers as firefighters from 26 different departments rushed to get water on the quick-moving fires, ultimately preventing major property loss. County officials say only a handful of homes had siding melted from the intense heat. Some fencing and a few cars were also damaged.
"We ask that Rocklanders remain vigilant to any new brush fires no matter how small and call 911 if observed. Hopefully we will get that promised rain this afternoon to help us with what remains," Rockland County Executive Ed Day said.Parts of Route 9W were closed, and expected to stay that way through most of the weekend"due to falling trees and rocks from Friday's countywide brush fires.
Black smoke was visible for miles as fire rapidly. Officials said the flames started in the town of Stony Point before moving south along the west side of the Hudson River to Congers. Stony Point Supervisor Jim Monaghan said that flames shot up 30 to 40 feet in the air at certain times, and that a good amount of the town was left covered in heavy smoke and ash.
The train tracks seen running in the area are freight tracks and county officials said later in the evening that a train run by railroad company CSX shot out sparks as it moved along, sparking the fires. Train traffic was temporarily halted on the route.
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