AGENCY TESTIMONY
Recent brush fire incidents in NYC parks during the 2024 drought
0:21:27
ยท
65 sec
Marit Larsen discusses the recent increase in brush fires in NYC parks, particularly during the historic drought in late 2024.
- Explains that all natural vegetated areas can be susceptible to fires
- Describes the extent of the fires: over 41 acres affected out of 68,100 acres of Parks Forested Natural Areas
- Highlights that the largest fires occurred in 10 different parks across 4 boroughs on 13 different dates
Marit Larsen
0:21:27
By definition, all natural vegetated areas can be susceptible to fires and brush fires have occurred in parks to various degrees over the years.
0:21:35
But thankfully, widespread large scale brush fire flyers have not been especially common in recent decades.
0:21:42
However, in late 2024, New York City experienced a historic drought which was contributed, contributed to a significant increase in brush fires in the city, particularly in natural areas.
0:21:53
We coordinated closely with FDNY to ensure public safety in and near affected areas and worked diligently to inspect and remove known tree hazards along paths, trails, and heavy heavily tracked areas after fires were extinguished.
0:22:07
Our natural resources crews quantified and mapped the fire extent, which totaled over 41 acres out of 68 100 acres of Parks Forested Natural Areas citywide.
0:22:18
The largest fires occurred in 10 different parks and 4 boroughs on 13 different dates from mid October to mid November.
0:22:25
The most this was the most significant set of brushfires impacting forested parklands date dating back decades.