On Nov. 22, two weeks after the start of Jennings Creek wildfire at Sterling Forest State Park on the New York border with New Jersey, the governor announced the fire was fully contained.

A smaller force of state and local firefighters are continuing their work. Since Nov. 8, the fire burned 5,304 acres across New York and New Jersey. 

Since Nov. 10, according to a release from the governor’s office, 427 fire companies — nearly all of them volunteers — have sent more than 1,300 firefighters and equipment to help. Responders attacked the fire from the ground and in the air.

Helicopters from the State Police and the Army National Guard dumped more than 500,000 gallons of water on the fire over the course of a week.

The steady rain and snow that started on Nov. 20 brought much needed moisture to the region, acting as a blanket to drop the ground temperature and suppress the fire.

New York implemented a statewide burn ban in effect until Nov. 30 due to increased fire risk. This burn ban prohibits the starting of outdoor fires statewide for purposes of brush and debris disposal, as well as uncontained campfires, and open fires used for cooking.

However, as of Monday evening, Nov 25, the state’s Mesonet map shows all of New York, including Albany County, at “low” risk for wildfires.

At the same time, Albany County, like the rest of the state, is still under a “drought watch” while two neighboring counties, Schoharie and Greene, are under a “drought warning.”

— Melissa Hale-Spencer