Dangerous air quality hits New York as brush fires erupt in Northeast

New York City officials issued an air quality alert Saturday morning amid several brushfires burning in the U.S. northeast, including one in a Brooklyn park the previous night.

The city’s Office of Emergency Management said Saturday evening the Air Quality Index (AQI) in some monitors had reached 201, indicating “very unhealthy” air quality. Under those conditions, the air is not safe for people with sensitive breathing issues and the elderly, and everyone should avoid strenuous outdoor activities, according to the federal government’s AirNow resource.

New York City, Long Island and counties located north of the city and in eastern New Jersey were under red flag warnings Saturday due to the high risk of brushfire due to strong winds and extremely dry conditions. Last week Mayor Eric Adams issued a citywide drought watch as New York has seen the second-longest dry streak in city records dating back to 1869.

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While there have been numerous ongoing brushfires in New Jersey, one broke out right in the middle of Brooklyn Friday night.

Firefighters spent almost three hours trying to contain a fire that erupted in Prospect Park. By the time it was contained, the fire had engulfed two acres, roughly two football fields, of the park, according to the FDNY.

No one was reported hurt during the fire in Brooklyn, according to officials.

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“This is the new normal of extreme weather. It’s not something that we’re expecting, but it’s something that we all need to be prepared for,” New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol told reporters at a news conference at the park Friday night.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she has deployed more resources to fight the fires raging in upstate.

The Whitehouse Fire in Ulster and Sullivan counties is impacting approximately 300 to 400 acres and is expected to increase, she said.

“The safety of all New Yorkers is my top priority, and I urge everyone in impacted areas, especially those vulnerable, to stay alert, monitor air quality, and take necessary precautions to stay safe,” the governor said in a statement.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Saturday a ban on grilling in city parks in the wake of the Brooklyn fire.

The mayor’s press release also said the city has had 120 brush fires in the past 10 days. Adams urged residents to conserve water, avoid setting off fireworks and remove excessive leaves and brush from sidewalks.

“Getting through this drought will take all of us working together, and every drop counts, so let’s keep doing our part to save as much water as we can,” Adams said.

In New Jersey, forest firefighters were battling a wildfire in Passaic County that had already engulfed over 150 acres as of Saturday afternoon.

“It really spread fast last night in the wind,” Pompton Lakes, New Jersey Mayor Mike Serra, told reporters.

Chief Bill Donnelly, with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, told reporters Saturday afternoon the fire was on private property owned by Dupont and was 50% contained.

“Not only is the fire burning up and above the ground, [but] it’s also burning beyond below the ground, gets into the root systems and things like that,” he said. “So being it’s so dry, we’re putting a lot of labor into putting these fires out. It takes a lot of water and things like that to penetrate the ground and get down to the source of the heat.”

Officials said there was testing on the air and it came back safe.

The dry conditions have led to fires in several locations throughout the East Coast including Reading, Pennsylvania.

Dangerous air quality hits New York as brush fires erupt in Northeast originally appeared on abcnews.go.com