The Peru Gazette

The statewide residential brush burning prohibition began on March 16 and continues through May 14.

Albany, May 11, 2026 – New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents statewide. Working with other State agencies, local emergency response organizations, and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured, or distressed people from across New York State.

Town of Queensbury
Warren County
Wildland Fire: On April 28 at 3:45 p.m., two Forest Rangers responded to a brush fire that damaged multiple structures including a child’s playhouse. Firefighters from Bay Ridge, Queensbury Central, South Glens Falls, South Queensbury, and West Glens Falls Fire Departments contained the fire to 0.5 acres. Rangers issued a ticket for leaving a fire unattended.

Queensbury fire

Queensbury fire

Queensbury fire

Town of Cambridge
Washington County
Wildland Fire: On April 29 at 10:30 a.m., two Forest Rangers responded to a brush fire at the intersection of Content Farm Road and Little Colfax Road. By 12 p.m., Rangers and firefighters from Arlington, Buskirk, Cambridge, Cossayuna, Easton, Greenwich, Hoosick Falls, North Hoosick Falls, Salem, Schuylerville, Shushan, and White Creek Fire Departments contained the fire to 0.8 acre. One shed and four scrap vehicles were damaged in the fire. DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement handled the charges for illegal debris burning.

The statewide residential brush burning prohibition began on March 16 and continues through May 14.

Cambridge fire

Town of Elizabethtown
Essex County
Wildland Fire: On April 29 at 5:16 p.m., six Forest Rangers responded to a brush fire on Lincoln Pond Road. A bus on the property was damaged by the fire. By 8:55 p.m., Rangers and firefighters from Crown Point, Elizabethtown, Essex, Keene, Keene Valley, Lewis, Mineville/Witherbee. Moriah, Westport, and Whallonsburg Fire Departments controlled the 2.4-acre fire. DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement was called in to address the illegal burning of garbage.

Elizabethtown fire

Elizabethtown fire

Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DEC’s “Hike Smart NY,” “Adirondack Backcountry,” and “Catskill Backcountry Information” webpages for more information.

If a person needs a Forest Ranger, whether it’s for a search and rescue, to report a wildfire, or to report illegal activity on State lands and easements, they should call 833-NYS-RANGERS. If a person needs urgent assistance, they can call 911. To contact a Forest Ranger for information about a specific location, the DEC website has phone numbers for every Ranger listed by region.