2nd Wildfire Erupts; Minnewaska State Park Closed Till Further Notice

ULSTER COUNTY, NY — As crews continued the battle to contain the spreading Napanoch Point Fire, a second fire erupted at Minnewaska State Park Preserve, prompting officials to announce Tuesday that all access points to the park are closed until further notice to maintain public safety.

That includes the Sam’s Point Area. Anyone with reservations for Saturday, Sunday or Monday over the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend will be notified and refunded.

Crews have responded to fight the new Stony Kill Fire. Meanwhile, the Napanoch Point Fire has increased in size due to vegetation, terrain and weather conditions, officials said.

Expect to see smoke coming off the fires on the mountain, they said.

Over the next 24 hours, the response team will be committing an additional 60 firefighters to the operation, and doubling resources to four helicopters for airdrops and 24 all-terrain vehicles. There will be firefighting activities on Berme Road from Port Bend to Ellenville, working on installing a contingency line, officials said.

A community meeting with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers and staff volunteers, Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation staff and Ulster County Department of Emergency Services staff will be held at the Ellenville Junior/Senior High School Auditorium at 28 Maple Avenue in Ellenville at 7 p.m. Tuesday. This will be an opportunity for residents and others in the affected area to ask questions about the coordinated fire response. Anyone who can not access the community meeting may call the Ulster County Service Center at (845) 443-8888.

Call 911 to report a wildfire. For general questions or concerns, call the Ulster County Service Center at (845) 443-8888, 9:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Hudson Valley is at high risk for fires.

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