Due to the dry conditions an open fire ban has been issued for Westchester County Parks effective immediately.

The wooded environment in the parks, including camping sites and remote areas have an increased risk of fire due to the significant shortage of rainfall this season. While this ban is in effect, charcoal and propane fires will only be permitted for cooking in permanently fixed grills in the parks.

Safety tips on the open fire ban and drought watch include: Where campfires are permitted, limit their size and never leave one unattended.
Make sure it has been fully extinguished before leaving a campsite. The burning of tree limbs or other organic debris is not permitted while the burn ban is in effect.

Safely dispose of any charcoal used in a grill or ashes from wood burned in a fireplace. Extinguish cigarettes and other lightened materials safely and do not drop them in any wooded or grassy area. If you observe any smoke or small fire in any park or wooded area, please call 911
immediately so it can be quickly contained.

The counties now under drought watch are Bronx, Delaware, Dutchess, Greene, Kings, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland,bSchoharie, Sullivan, Ulster andWestchester. A watch is the first of four levels of state drought advisories, which are watch, warning, emergency, and disaster. No mandatory restrictions are in place under a state Drought Watch.

New York City today also issued a citywide drought watch after a historic lack of precipitation, ordering city agencies to update water conservation plans and prepare to implement them, and urging the public to help conserve water. Conserving water will slow the depletion
rate of the stored water in the city’s reservoirs and can potentially postpone or eliminate the threat of a serious shortage.