Sam's Point Wildfire Fully Contained

PHOTO: laying line at Sam's Point Preserve/Josh Morgan

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Thursday afternoon that the wildfire in Sam’s Point Preserve in Ulster County has been fully contained.

More than 2,000 acres were consumed during the course of the incident, and more than 300 first responders from state and local agencies helped fight and contain the wildfire, but no homes or major structures in the region were impacted.

“Over the past week, hundreds of first responders from Ulster County and beyond came together to battle this blaze,” Cuomo said in a prepared statement. “They rose to the challenge – putting themselves in harm’s way in order to keep their fellow New Yorkers and their communities safe – and we owe them all a debt of gratitude. I am pleased to see this wildfire fully contained, and I thank all of the brave men and women who worked tirelessly to make it possible.”

Over the past week, many local EMS agencies provided support in addition to representatives from 91 fire departments from Ulster, Greene, Sullivan, Dutchess, Delaware and Orange Counties, which rotated through the incident. The state deployed more than 110 state emergency personnel.

The state officials that were deployed included the State Incident Management Team, which has integrated into the State Forest Rangers, and an additional precautionary Structure Protection Group which was also deployed to the area. Other state agencies deployed included:

• · DHSES (Office of Emergency Management, Fire Prevention and Control, Interoperable and Emergency Communications)
  · State Police (includes two State Police helicopters with water-dropping Bambi buckets, as well as one helicopter on standby for emergency medical assistance)
  · Department of Environmental Conservation
  · State Parks
  · Transportation
  · State Park Police
  · The Nature Conservancy
  · Minnewaska State Park
  · Mohawk Preserve
  · Albany Pine Bush
  · NYS Incident Management Team Assets
  · OIEC Communications Assets

Photos of the response efforts and some of the personnel that took part can be found here and here.

Call 9-1-1 to report a suspected wildfire. The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services reminds New Yorkers to have a family evacuation plan and a go kit ready for emergencies. For a list of emergency supplies, please click here. For wildfire safety information, please click here. For information on how to protect your home, please click here.