Firefighters from over a dozen departments in Rockland County were working in a perimeter around the brush fire that continues to burn on Clausland Mountain in Orangeburg as of 9:45 a.m. Friday morning.
"Right now we are waiting for a helicopter to take an aerial view of what we have going on so we can figure out how to handle it," said Joe Sassano, a Commissioner and 30-year member of the Orangeburg Fire Department."We have firefighters surrounding the perimeter of the fire. We're waiting to find out a strategy."
The fire started at approximately 1 p.m. Thursday and spread quickly due to windy conditions and the large amount of leaves and trees for it to feed on. At least 15 volunteer fire departments responded Thursday, though all personnel were pulled back overnight for safety reasons. Helicopters from West Point Military Academy and Westchester County Police Aviation dropped water on the blaze to try to put it later in the day. Read more in this report on Patch.
The fire spread close enough to threaten homes overlooking the Hudson River early Friday morning, but so far there are no reports of injuries or homes damaged.
"It did encroach on some people's property lines, but never actually put their homes in jeopardy," Sassano said. "It's like any other fire. It's going to spread to seek fuel, but it's not spreading to the point where people are in jeopardy or there is a call for evacuations."
New City Fire Chief Kenny Flynn shared photos of the fire taken overnight from Tappan Zee High School.
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