Wildfire in Minnewaska State Park
Update (9/3/2022) on the wildfire in Minnewaska state park: Two of the three fires that were started on Saturday have been 100% contained. The 70 acre Wurtsboro fire and the 1.5 acre Stony Kill fire are fully extinguished while the Napanoch Point fire is 75% contained. Nearly 200 firefighters have been working hard at containing this fire and ensuring that it doesn’t spread to the town. Today, more bulldozers and firefighter crew will continue to built control lines so that the fire doesn’t continue to spread. Due to the ongoing fire Minnewaska State Park will be closed for Memorial Day weekend.
On Saturday, we saw an Instagram post that there was a wildfire in Minnewaska State Park. We jumped in our car and went to the fire tower to see the damage to our hiking mountain. Down the road from our house were fire trucks which made us take a double take, but we continued to the tower. Once we got there, we looked to Sam’s Point and saw nothing. Then we turned our heads towards our home, and there was big smoke from where we came.
We watched the police chopper carry water from the lake to the fire, over and again, hoping the giant smoke would settle down. We were unaware that another fire was to our right, hidden. Then a firefighter came to the tower with his wife and told us that a brush started the fire in Wurtsboro. The fire in Ellenville was started by lightning, and they are still fighting it. The Wurtsboro fire burned 70 acres of land but has been contained.
Lightning Strike Fire in Napanoch Point
Since Saturday, firefighters have been fighting a wildfire in Shawangunk mountains. The large fire has closed Minnewaska Park while hundred of firefighters fight it. The fire has burned at least 30 acres of parkland. By Monday afternoon, the firefighters were able to contain 30% of the fire. The Napanoch Point fire increased due to the rugged terrain, vegetation, and wind. The second fire spread and is called the Stony Kill fire.
Today, more firefighters will be fighting the fires on Berme Road from Port Bend to Ellenville. They have asked for supplies, including snacks, water, and white cotton socks. Anyone who can donate should drop the supplies at Berme Rd Park, 20 Berme Rd in Ellenville New York.
We are so grateful that there are people dedicated to protecting us and our forests. It will be challenging to hike through Shawangunk and not feel emotional. Even after years, you can see evidence of the last fire at Sam’s Point. Nature is resilient and will take over again, but it will take some time. Hopefully, the wildfire in Minnewaska State Park will be fully contained by today.
