Brush fire ignites in Brooklyn's Prospect Park amid ongoing drought

NEW YORK — A brush fire ignited in Prospect Park Friday evening, amid an ongoing drought across the city.

Fanned by strong winds, the fire rose to two alarms as the blaze spread across a 2-acre swath of the wooded area of the Nethermead near the center of the park around 6:40 p.m.

More than 100 firefighters, including special brush fire units, fought the fire for nearly three hours as FDNY drone operators sought out hot spots overhead.

FDNY Deputy Chief Joe Duggan described the challenges firefighters faced operating in the dense, hilly area of the park at a press conference at the scene.

“We got our equipment and folks into position in a hilly, dense brush condition … An extremely inaccessible area” said Duggan. “Conditions today are perfect for a brush fire.”

Mayor Eric Adams joined FDNY officials at Prospect Park, where he praised a passerby who alerted authorities to the urban wildfire.

“We were extremely lucky when the passerby saw something but also did something,” said Adams. “They notified FDNY and it was a quick response.”

The brush fire comes less than a week after the city issued a rare citywide drought watch in response to a historic dry spell.

Last month was the driest October on record, with the second-longest rainless streak in city records dating back to 1869, officials said.

The city was placed under a red flag warning due to a high risk of fire which caused numerous brush fires in New York last night along with a wildfire in New Jersey, according to Commissioner of Emergency Management Zachary Iscol.

“We’re asking New Yorkers: Don’t throw cigarettes on the ground and making sure as the passerby did today you’re recording any fires you see,” Iscol told reporters at Prospect Park. “This is the new normal of extreme weather. It’s not something we were expecting but something we need to be prepared for.”