• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Eastwick Press Info
  • Contact Us

The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

  • Community Calendar
  • School News
  • Sports Outdoors
  • Obituaries
  • Letters & Comments
  • Church Directory

The Careless Toss Of A Cigarette May Be The Cause Of A Large Fire In The Woods Along The Grafton-Pittstown Line

April 28, 2016 By eastwickpress

More Than 100 Firefighters Respond 

To A Blaze In The Grafton Woods

By Doug La Rocque

It took more than 100 firefighters from 14 different Rensselaer County departments nearly six hours to extinguish a woods and brush fire burning on state land off Edelmann Lane, mostly in the Town of Grafton near the Pittstown line.  Grafton Chief Jim Goyer said there were no injuries in the Wednesday blaze, which was difficult to fight because of the terrain and lack of water.  Overall, Goyer estimates the amount of land consumed by the fire to be about 14 acres.

[private]

Smoke billows from the woods along Grafton’s northern border, burning an estimated 14 acres. See story on page 2. Photo courtesy of Pittstown Volunteer Fire Department
Smoke billows from the woods along Grafton’s northern border, burning an estimated 14 acres. See story on page 2. Photo courtesy of Pittstown Volunteer Fire Department

The Pittstown Fire Department was one of the first called to the scene, but it soon became apparent it was in the Grafton Fire District, though in a portion of the district that is not readily accessible from the village.  County Fire Officials and three New York State Park Rangers also responded to the scene.  With the blaze apparently out, Chief Goyer sent all department home a little before 9 pm.  He said he did not want anyone endangering themselves in the woods at night.  The Rangers returned to the scene Thursday and Friday, with the fire officially declared out on Friday.

Members of The Pittstown Fire Department check for hotspots after the blaze had been extinguished.  Photo courtesy of the Pittstown Volunteer Fire Department.
Members of The Pittstown Fire Department check for hotspots after the blaze had been extinguished.
Photo courtesy of the Pittstown Volunteer Fire Department.

While the cause remains under investigation, fire officials believe someone driving by and carelessly tossing aside a lit cigarette is what started the fire.  The woods are dry. Fire conditions remain high in the County, with several red flag days being posted by the National Weather Service.  Rainfall totals more than two inches below normal this year coupled with several days of brisk winds, have helped fuel many brush fires around the County this past week.  New York State has a ban on all open burning in effect until May 16.

Goyer said members of many of the departments along with County Fire Officials and Park Rangers will gather next Monday, May 2, to critique their response to the fire, go over what they did right, and what could have been done better. [/private]

Filed Under: Front Page, Grafton, Local News, Petersburgh, Rensselaer County

Primary Sidebar

    News Categories

    Archives

        Footer

        Local News

        Brunswick Town Board Highlights

        by Denise Wright The March 13th Brunswick Town Board meeting was filled with conversation and resulted in the passing of two resolutions. During the Building and Codes report, 25 building property inspections and 22 follow-up complaints were reported for the month of February. The State Uniform Code Administration Compliance Report has been prepared. The historian […]

        March 21st, 2025 Edition

        View this week’s entire newspaper: You must be logged in to view this article.

        Stephentown Board Highlights

        by Denise Wright The Stephentown Board’s St. Patrick’s Day meeting began with a moment of silence to honor former town board member Gerry Robinson. Robinson focused on “improving local service opportunities, protecting Stephentown’s unique rural environment, and increasing local jobs and amenities by encouraging economic development appropriate to the size, atmosphere, and well-being of our […]

        School News

        Berlin School Board Appoints New Superintendent

        Submitted by BCSD Communications The Berlin Central School District Board of Education selected Mr. Kenneth Rizzo to be its next superintendent of schools, effective July 1st. Mr. Rizzo was unanimously appointed by the board at its meeting on March 6th. You must be logged in to view this article.

        Wildcats Compete at the New York State Indoor Track Championships 

        Hoosick Falls CSD Indoor Track Submitted by HFCSD Communications The Wildcats put forth a great effort at the New York State Indoor Track Championships on March 8th. The girls 4×400, consisting of Emma Waugh, Mihaly Blake, Ava Salvsevold, and Erin Conety, had a huge upset in their race. Going in as the underdogs, the girls […]

        Winter Scholar Athletes and Varsity Teams

        Brunswick CSD Submitted by Brunswick CSD Communications Brunswick CSD is proud to announce its winter Scholar Athlete sports teams for the 2024-2025 season. The school fielded seven varsity teams, including Girls Basketball, Boys Basketball, Boys Wrestling, Competitive Cheerleading, Unified Bowling, Boys Indoor Track, and Girls Indoor Track. In addition to the exciting lineup of winter […]

        Copyright © Eastwick Press · All Rights Reserved · Site by Brainspiral Technologies