The stench and haze of smoke was evident in many areas of Ulster County on Sunday as a 422-acre wildfire raged in the Peekamoose Mountain area of Denning.
First reported on Friday afternoon, November 8, near Whitehouse Road, efforts are ongoing to establish a control line and achieve full containment. Nearly 200 firefighters from 20 agencies across Ulster, Sullivan, and Delaware counties are involved, coordinated by a unified command that includes the Ulster County Department of Emergency Services, Sullivan County Division of Public Safety, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Grahamsville Fire Department. Fire departments from Olive, Accord, Kerhonkson, Ellenville, Malden-West Camp, and Napanoch are among those on the scene.
As of Sunday afternoon, there were no reported injuries or fatalities, and no official reports of damaged or destroyed homes.
Residents are advised to avoid traveling to the Sundown Wild Forest area, and Peekamoose Road from the Denning town line through Sundown Road is closed to traffic. The extent of containment and the cause of the fire has not been disclosed.
The region has experienced dry conditions due to a lack of rain for weeks, leading to a drought watch for Ulster County issued on November 2 by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Fortunately, some precipitation is forecasted for the week ahead.
Previously, on October 25, a forest fire broke out in Plattekill. After several days and expansion into the town of Marlborough, that fire was contained on October 28. In response to the dry conditions, several towns in Ulster County — including Woodstock, Olive, New Paltz, Marbletown, Marlborough, Lloyd, Rosendale, Gardiner, Hurley, and Plattekill — have declared outdoor burn bans.
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