Spencerport, N.Y. (WHAM) – Dry conditions have prompted a state burn ban, effective Oct. 2 through Oct 15.
The directive is in response to increased fire risks resulting from dry, drought-like conditions. Most of Western New York is currently under a drought watch, one of four levels of state drought advisories, according to the State Department of Environmental Conservation.
“We badly need rain,” said Spencerport Fire Chief Jake Bromage. “Certainly, our crews are ready to respond as needed, but the homeowner can help. Please obey the ban.”
“The ongoing nice weather is great for watching fall foliage or gathering with friends, but it also presents a higher risk for fires that put homes, businesses, and our brave first responders at risk,” Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement on October 2nd. “Many regions are already in a drought watch or warning due to the dry conditions, and with the fire risk rising in some parts of the state, it is important to keep everyone safe by implementing this temporary burn ban.”
The ban covers outdoor fires for brush and debris disposal and other uncontained burns, though these are already prohibited statewide.
Small campfires, specifically, no larger than three feet tall and four feet wide, are exempt.
“It’s just heartbreaking when you don’t get what Mother Nature normally provides you with in this area,” said Matt Kludt of Kludt Brothers Farm in Kendall, earlier this week.
The recent drought-like conditions have been noticeable for Kludt, who said he is trying to compensate for the lack of water in his fields.
“We typically do get a burn ban in the spring,” said Bromage.” We’re very used to the community doing a good job of adhering to that. This is the first I remember in recent years.”
“We’re irrigating and we’re moving pipe and trying to act like Mother Nature,” said Kludt. “But it just never — you can’t, you can’t duplicate what she can from the clouds.”
State leaders said the conditions leave the state vulnerable, and ask New Yorkers to conserve water for essential purposes. To conserve water, New York State encouraged people to water their lawns only when necessary, doing so in the early morning to reduce evaporation. Additionally, the state advised taking shorter showers and installing water-saving plumbing fixtures.
Chief Bromage said neighbors can help reduce their individual risks.
“To reduce the risk of damage to your property, we see out west, there’s a lot of effort in communities to remove brush, not by burning it obviously, but by using the local town for pickup,” Bromage said. “And you can reduce risk to your structure if there is a brush fire in the area by removing that brush.”