Staten Island Brush Fires Finally Under Control
NEW YORK (1010 WINS/CBS 2/WCBS 880) -- The FDNY said late Wednesday night that two brush fires on Staten Island were under control.
Some 250 firefighters were out in Great Kills in the afternoon for what grew to a 6-alarm fire.
The call came in just before 3 p.m. and the FDNY's job is far from over, CBS 2's Hazel Sanchez reported.
Towering flames and thick clouds of smoke devoured the brush lands in Great Kills Park. Fire crews were brought in from all five boroughs to fight the stubborn flames. Dry conditions and high winds made their battle even tougher, Sanchez reported.
"Problems were amplified because just earlier, before this fire broke out, another large brush fire a few miles in western Staten Island took a lot of the units over there, so a lot of units who came here were from other parts of the city," FDNY Assistant Chief Thomas Jensen said.
Even the NYPD was called in to attack the fire -- dumping huge buckets of water from the air.
On the ground, firefighters were also spraying down fields around residential areas to protect locals and their homes.
"This is the baddest I've seen in like three years," Great Kills resident Bennie Fraiscia said.
No one was injured in the blaze, but firefighters said there were some scary moments.
"For a short period we did have our own members trapped by fire down the road as the fire swept by them on both sides. But they were uninjured," FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief James Leonard said.
Late Wednesday night, crews were still watering down pockets of flames flickering in the brush. Arson investigators were searching for the cause.
The wind was still blowing strong. So fire crews will be stationed in the area overnight in case the brush catches fire again.
