2-month ban on outdoor burning starts Tuesday

The practice is the largest cause of spring wildfires in state, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

New York’s annual springtime ban on the outdoor burning of residential brush and other debris runs from next Tuesday, March 16, through May 14, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

“The start of spring brings an increased risk of wildfires,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said in a statement. “... In an effort to protect our communities and natural resources, New York prohibits residential burning for two months ... when dry conditions are highest.”

Open burning of debris is the largest single cause of spring wildfires in New York, according to the DEC. The department said that when temperatures start to climb and the previous fall’s debris and leaves dry out, wildfires can start and spread easily and be fueled by winds and a lack of green vegetation.

In 2020, the DEC said, state forest rangers extinguished 192 wildfires in New York that burned a total of more than 1,122 acres. Many other fires in the state were battled by local-level volunteer fire departments.

New York first enacted strict restrictions on open burning in 2009 to help prevent wildfires and reduce air pollution. The regulations allow residential brush fires in communities with fewer than 20,000 residents during most of the year, except during the two-month ban period.

Some locations in the Catskill Park, however, are designated “fire towns” in which open burning is prohibited year-round unless the DEC grants a permit.

Violators of the twomonth burn ban can be fined at least $500 for a first offense.

The following items are based on information provided by officials in law enforcement and the criminal justice system.

Athens

• Contempt: Kirk C.

Ford, 43, of Athens, was arrested by state police at Coxsackie at 7:29 a.m. Thursday, March 11, and was charged with criminal contempt (disobeying a court order), a misdemeanor, following a reported domestic dispute. He was issued an appearance ticket for Athens Town Court.

Hurley

• Weapon/endangering: Roberto Santiago, 32, of Hurley, was arrested by state police at Ulster at 2:14 p.m. Thursday, March 11, and was charged with menacing with a weapon and acting in a manner injurious to a child under 17, both misdemeanors. Santiago was released with tickets for Hurley Town Court.

Town of Rochester

• Aggravated DWI/DWAIdrugs: Douglas Dymond, 50, of Liberty, was arrested by state police at Wawarsing at 10:25 p.m. Thursday, March 11, and was charged with aggravated drunken driving with a child, a felony, and with driving while ability impaired by drugs, a misdemeanor. Dymond was released with tickets for Rochester Town Court.

Shawangunk

• Grand larceny: Kaitlin B. Winchell, 32, of Maybrook, was arrested by state police at Highland at 9:01 a.m. Thursday, March 11, in the village of Maybrook in connection with an incident alleged to have occurred in the town of Shawangunk on Nov. 21, 2020, and was charged with grand larceny, a felony. Winchell was released with a ticket for Shawangunk Town Court. Further information was not immediately available.

Wawarsing

• DWAI-drugs: Kenneth S. LeSane, 45, of Ellenville, was arrested by state police at Wawarsing at 10:30 p.m. Thursday, March 11, and was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, a misdemeanor. LeSane was released with a ticket for Wawarsing Town Court.