WURTSBORO – The beautiful weather this past weekend was marred — literally — by a large forest fire that burned a significant portion of the Shawangunk Ridge near the Village of Wurtsboro in the Town of Mamakating. The fire started as a small blaze in the early afternoon on Saturday. But high winds quickly whipped the flames, turning it into a major fire that burned through approximately 300 acres of timber. The blaze kicked up so quickly, in fact, that firefighters at one point were forced to beat a hasty retreat.

More than 30 fire companies from three different counties responded to the blaze, which is the second major fire on the ridge in as many years.   > MORE

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