Wildfire in New York's Rensselaer County Grows to 198 Acres by October 26 Evening, 50 Percent Contained, No Homes Threatened
A wildfire in the Town of Berlin in Rensselaer County, New York, had grown to roughly 198 acres as of the evening of October 26, with flames reaching up to two feet, and was 50 percent contained, New York State and county officials said. The fire has also spread into northwestern Massachusetts. Smoke from the fire is minimal, and no homes are at risk.
The fire, originally covering about 1.5 acres, was discovered by residents on Sunday morning, October 25. Since then, dozens of firefighters from New York, Massachusetts and nearby Vermont have been working to control the blaze with the help of water drops from two New York State helicopters. To reach the fire, crews travel a mile and a half down a trail and then hike another mile into the woods.
"The biggest challenges that we're facing right now is just the extremely difficult terrain and the difficult access into the fire," said Forest Ranger Lt. Eric Stratton of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, adding that crews are reinforcing and constructing control lines and going direct on the fire whenever they can. Stratton noted the area has had no rain lately and the fire is burning in leaf litter. Officials are also asking the public to avoid the Taconic Crest Trail south of State Highway 2.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 林地野火（资料图）。图片：美国林业局，CC BY-SA 2.0，取自维基共享资源。
